This is our catalog of courses. We will occasionally adjust the course listing to reflect the addition of new courses and the retirement of others.
Learn mystery literature with a theater and mystery-story expert! Read Sherlock Holmes and Father Brown stories, deep-dive into literary analysis, and have some good old-fashioned fun as you solve the mysteries!
Total classes: 8
Prerequisite: None
Suggested grade level: 9th to 12th
Suggested credit: ½ semester English or Literature
Description
The two greatest sleuths in the history of detective fiction are Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes and GK Chesterton’s Father Brown. We will read and discuss a different mystery story every day, alternating between these two characters — who both demonstrate, in their own ways, how Reason and Faith work together!
Outline
Introduction and scenes from “The Honor of Israel Gow” – Father Brown
“The Speckled Band” – Sherlock Holmes
“The Blue Cross” – Father Brown
“The Dancing Men” – Sherlock Holmes
“The Queer Feet” – Father Brown
“The Red Headed League” – Sherlock Holmes
“The Hammer of God” – Father Brown
“The Final Problem” – Sherlock Holmes
Materials and Homework
Course materials: Mr. O’Brien will provide FREE course materials as PDFs of the stories, all of which are in the public domain.
Homework: Daily assignments will consist of reading that day’s story and taking a computer-graded quiz for immediate feedback. There will be a final essay assignment, graded by Mr. O’Brien. Homework should take no more than one to two hours per day outside of the live class.
