SHERLOCK HOLMES
ENG 1510
Writing and Rhetoric I
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Instructor: Dr. Benham
INVESTIGATIONS
It was a dark and stormy night. Research Librarian Lorraine Wochna was closing up the fourth floor for the night, when she suddenly heard a crash, a stomping noise, and a horrible scream. Rushing around the corner, she discovered - to her horror - George Eliot's Middlemarch, the classic Victorian novel. It's spine was broken, pages were torn and scattered, and the silk bookmark was nowhere to be found. No one was in sight and the doors were already locked for the night, so it must have been an inside job. After checking the shelves and asking the rest of the Librarians, she has gathered a list of suspects who either were one of the last to see Middlemarch alive and well, or are known to have a grudge against the book. The Librarians do not have the time or skill to determine whom is responsible, and have asked our team of amateur investigators to help. Individually and as a team, you must deduce who is reponsible and compile a compelling case, marshalling your evidence and using it effectively to sway a jury of your peers.
The Case of the Mutilated Middlemarch
INDIVIDUALLY
Using the Resources page on this website as a starting point, begin researching your research question(s). Make sure to document each source you examine and make detailed notes in your commonplace books. Use as many sources as are necessary to thoroughly answer your research question, being careful to cite appropriately when summarizing, paraphrasing, and quoting.
AS A GROUP
/ RESEARCH
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For each research question that you answer, you need to type up:
1. The answer to the research question, using as many sources as necessary, and being careful to cite appropriately when summarizing, paraphrasing, and quoting.
2. The complete and proper MLA citation of each source that you used in answering the research question.
3. Explain how this evidence supports your suspect as the culprit.
4. Explain how this evidence does not support or complicates the idea of your suspect as the culprit.
--Feel free to use quotes from the text, but make sure to put in quotation marks and cite the source and page number (if applicable) accurately.
(This piece will be turned in separately and graded individually as 50% of your project grade)
/ DOCUMENT
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/ PRESENT CASE
Each group will present their report to the class, making the case that their suspect is either innocent or guilty. Each group will determine the best way to present the information, though it should take more than five minutes, but fewer than ten. Presentation responsibilities should be shared, and creativity (skits, music, costumes, etc.) is encouraged, though not required. The presentation is worth 20% of your overall project grade.
First, you must be divided into teams of 3 or 4. Then, each team will be given a suspect. Using the ALICE catalog, locate the suspect in the stacks. There may be multiple copies with the same name. Your copy will most likely be on the 7th floor, as that the where most of the English Literature books reside. As a team, go to that location and quickly search the shelves. Your correct suspect will be wearing a poppie. Out of this suspect, you must find the clue. The clue will be a word or phrase which you must enter into the password-protected site for your suspect. Once you enter the code, you will gain access to the interview.
Listen to and read the interview, writing down an ideas and questions you have in your commonplace book. Once you are finished with the interview, you will need to verify the suspect's claims and learn a little more about topics that were mentioned. Click the link at the bottom of the interview page to access your list of research questions. Divide the research questions among yourselves. In most groups, each person will have two research questions.
/ INTERVIEW SUSPECT
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/ LOCATE SUSPECT
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Share and discuss what you have learned with your team-mates, so that everyone in the group holds the same clues. As a group, you must decide if your suspect is guilty or innocent. Then, together, write a 3-4 page report that argues (in complete sentences) why your suspect is either guilty or innocent. Don't just list your clues; rather, construct a narrative or essay that provides motive, means, etc. You must also address 2-3 points of counter-evidence. A strong report will not only explain the contradictory evidence, but justify or rationalize the contrary evidence in a manner that ends up supporting their suspect as the culprit. You will be arguing from the standpoint of a Victorian person, complete with their ideologies and prejudices. Feel free to use ethos, logos, and pathos as needed. Cite all information when appropriate, using MLA citation customs. Include a full Works Cited at the end of your report that lists all of the sources used in alphabetical order (this page is not included in the 3-4 page requirement). This report will be worth 30% of the project grade.
/ COLLECT EVIDENCE
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