Instructor: Dr. Mary Nielsen
Phone: 272-4407 or 1-800-829-4436
Email: mnielsen@daltonstate.edu
Web page: www.daltonstate.edu/faculty/mnielsen/
Office: 224 LIA
Office Hours: Monday: 8:00-noon
Tuesday: 9:25-10:40 a.m. (in Writing Lab)
Wednesday: 8:00-noon
Thursday: 8:00-noon
Friday: 8:00-noon
Also by appointment.
Writing Lab: Tuesday: 9:25-10:40 a.m.
Midterm: October 25, 2007 (last day to withdraw)
Prerequisite: READ 0098 or COMPASS Reading score of 80 or above.
This course provides an introduction to mystery fiction as an expression of popular culture. This course traces the historical and literary development and trends of mystery fiction from its mid-nineteenth-century beginnings; examines the elements of the classic mystery; explores the popularity of this medium; provides an overview of the numerous subgenres and their characteristics (from the “Golden Age” classics, to the cozy, to the hard-boiled thriller); and examines ways in which the characterizations, stereotypes, moral issues, and themes of mystery fiction reflect their own time and society. Short story and novel reading will be supplemented by the inclusion of a small number of film, television, or audio renditions of texts.
Instructional Format
This course will be taught as a half-term class and will consist of seminar and small-group discussion and mini-lectures supplemented with the occasional viewing of films or playing of audiotapes. Students will read and discuss a variety of short stories and novels that will vary with the preferences of the instructor.
Short Stories
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, “The Speckled Band.” http://sherlockholmes_cases.tripod.com/holmes1_8.htm
or http://www.sepo.net/books/sherlock-holmes/the-adventure-of-the-speckled-band/
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, “A Scandal in Bohemia.”
http://www.blackmask.com/olbooks/advent.htm
or http://www.litrix.com/bohemia/bohem001.htm
Required Texts
Agatha Christie, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, Mass Market Paperbound, Berkley Publishing Group, 2004, ISBN# 0425200477
Harlan Coben, Deal Breaker, Paperback, Bantam Books, 1995, ISBN# 0440220440.
Students will
7. Read and interpret a variety of cultural expressions in literature, film, and other
media.
8. Write coherently and creatively in response to reading and viewing assignments.
9. Develop an appreciation of reading as a form of entertainment.
The class average will be determined as follows:
40%: Reading Quizzes
30%: Mystery Logs and Other Homework
10%: Class Participation and Attendance
20%: Final Exam
The grading scale is as follows:
A = 90%-100%
B = 80%-89%
C = 70-79%
D = 60-69%
F = 59 and below
Students are expected to attend every class session. Five points will be deducted from the class participation grade for each absence. Three to five points will be deducted from the participation grade for each early departure or late arrival.
Reading quizzes will be given at the beginning of the class period. These cannot be made up; however, I will drop the lowest quiz score. If you miss a quiz, that will be the score that I drop. Written assignments (reading logs) are due at the start of the class period. Ten points will be deducted for each day (not class period) an assignment is late.
Class Expectations
Disability Support Services (Revised June 25, 2007)
Dalton State College provides equal access for all students to programs, facilities, and services of the College. It is the student=s responsibility to voluntarily self-disclose a disability to the College and apply for reasonable accommodations in a timely manner, and according to the process established by the College:
$ Contact Academic Resources to discuss the process for self-disclosing a disability and requesting accommodations.
$ Provide a completed application and professional documentation that meet the University System of Georgia guidelines, and permit documentation to be assessed according to USG guidelines (the eligibility process may take up to 30 days).
$ Allow a minimum of 30 days to implement accommodations, once eligibility is determined.
Dalton State College serves students with disabilities fully and completely. To schedule an appointment to request services or more information, please contact:
Mary Andrews or Linda Wheeler
Dalton State College
Academic ResourcesBDisability Support Services
Lower Level, Pope Student Center
650 College Drive
Dalton, Georgia 30720
Phone: 706-272-4429
Students who are unable to come to Academic Resources to request services,
should call 706-272-4429.
Students who are unable to access the instructor=s office
should call the instructor at 706-272-4407 for assistance.
Drop/Withdrawal Policy (Revised June 25, 2007)
Students wishing to withdraw from the course may do so without penalty until the mid-point of the semester, and a grade of W will be assigned. After that point, withdrawal without penalty is permitted only in cases of extreme hardship as determined by the Vice President for Academic Affairs; otherwise a grade of WF will be issued. (Please note: At Dalton State College, the Hardship Withdrawal process requires students to withdraw from all classes at the college.) The proper form for dropping a course is the Schedule Adjustment Form, which can be obtained at the Enrollment Services Office in Westcott Hall. The Schedule Adjustment Form must be submitted to the Enrollment Services Office. Students who disappear, completing neither the official withdrawal procedure nor the course work, will receive the grade of F. This instructor will not withdraw students from the class. Withdrawal from any Dalton State College classes is a student responsibility. The last day to drop classes without penalty is October 25, 2007.
Complete Course Withdrawal (Revised June 25, 2007)
The proper form for withdrawing from all classes at the college after the official drop/add period but before the published withdrawal date is the Schedule Adjustment Form. Students who are assigned to the Academic Advising Center for advisement must meet with an advisor or staff member at the Academic Advising Center (107 Liberal Arts Building) to initiate the withdrawal process. All other students must meet with a staff member or advisor at the Office of Academic Resources in the Pope Student Center to initiate the withdrawal process. After meeting with the staff member or advisor, all students will then finalize the withdrawal process in the Financial Aid Office.
Workforce Development (Revised September 13, 2006)
If a student receiving aid administered by the DSC Workforce Development Department drops this class or completely withdraws from the College, the schedule adjustment form must be taken to the Workforce Development Office first. The office is located in the Technical Education Building, Room 112, and the hours are 9:00 a.m.-12:15 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. -5:00 p.m., Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, and 8:00 a.m.- 12:00 noon on Fridays. The office phone number is 272-2635.