Forensic Science and Classic Crime Fiction

Pre-requisites for enrolment

No previous knowledge of forensic science necessary but a general familiarity with the crime fiction of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Dorothy L. Sayers and Agatha Christie is desirable.

Content of Course

Week 1
Introduction; whistle-stop history of forensic medicine and science and its emergence in the crime fiction of the late 19th century and development in the 20th

Week 2
The Sherlock Holmes stories of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Week 3
The detective fiction of Dorothy L. Sayers

Week 4
The detective fiction of Dame Agatha Christie

Week 5
Overview; discussion; conclusions

Teaching method(s)

Classes will be informal, based around a short lecture and with class discussion

Learning outcomes

By the end of this course, students should be able to:

• see how different authors use contemporary scientific or medical knowledge to add to their fiction;
• the ways in which crime fiction and crime fact, then and now, work together and separately;
• demonstrate an awareness of the main developments of forensic science since the late 19th century.

Transferable skills

Discussion skills; comparative and critical skills

Sources

Core Readings

Essential

There is no compulsory reading, although a familiarity with the three authors' crime fiction will be helpful.

Recommended

Some of the main works of the three authors mentioned above, in any paperback edition:

• Conan D., 2001. A Study in Scarlet. London: Penguin Classics
• Sayers, D., 1963. Whose Body? UK: Hodder & Stoughton
• Christie, A., 2007. The Mysterious Affair At Styles. London: HarperCollins

Queries

If you have questions regarding the course or enrolment, please contact COL Reception at Paterson's Land by email COL@ed.ac.uk or by phone 0131 650 4400.

Student support

If you have a disability, learning difficulty or health condition which may affect your studies, please let us know by ticking the 'specific support needs' box on your course application form. This will allow us to make appropriate adjustments in advance and in accordance with your rights under the Equality Act 2010. For more information please visit the Student Support section of our website.