76-220 Mystery! From Detective Fiction to True Crime

9 units, Carnegie Mellon University

Mystery fiction is one of the most enduring and popular literary genres, and the current media landscape has expanded the concept of the "armchair detective" to include podcasters, journalists, and true crime addicts. This course provides a better understanding of narrative and genre, as well as social norms around gender and race, by looking at the conventions of mystery fiction and true crime. What can these "formulaic" genres teach us about storytelling, character development, and narrative point of view? What do they reveal about a society's notions of justice and order? And how is textual analysis itself an act of detection? Texts may include podcasts, documentaries, and newstories; classic stories and novels by Wilkie Collins, Arthur Conan Doyle, and Walter Mosely; and "noir" films such as Vertigo and Gaslight.

Prerequisites: none listed

Offered: Fall 2026, Fall 2025

Courseweave needs JavaScript to show sections, workloads and planning tools.