Welcome to our course—Clue: Detective & Mystery Fiction.

As you will soon learn, the lessons of this course are named forfor the rooms in the board game Clue, e.g., the Drawing Room, the Library, the Billiard Room, and so on.

Throughout our journey, we will read several short mystery stories, two mystery novels, and essays on writing detective and mystery fiction. You will also write three short papers in response to the mysteries we are reading.

Additionally, you will complete a final project where you create your own short mystery story using clues you receive throughout the course. You will find he clues hidden throughout the “Red Herring” portion of each unit. Afterwards, you will have a chance to post and share your “homemade” mystery with your fellow students.

Other activities required throughout the course include posting at least one discussion response in designated discussion rooms each week. (For ease of navigation, the discussion boards are also named for the rooms in Clue.) You will also complete several interactive assignments that I'm sure you you will all enjoy!

All activities and some of your reading material will be available online. However, you will have to purchase some materials (i.e., the required novels). A more complete description of your readings as well as assignments and activities are located in the Course Syllabus.

 If you prefer to view online content while offline, you may download the text of each unit here. All files are in the Adobe PDF format and require Adobe Acrobat to read. If you do not have Acrobat, you may download it for free here.

Lesson 1: In the Hall

Lesson 2: In the Kitchen

Lesson 3: In the Billboard Room

Lesson 4: In the Library

Lesson 5: In the Study

Lesson 6: In the Conservatory

Lesson 7: In the Dining Room

Lesson 8: In the Lounge

Lesson 9: In the Ballrooom

Lesson 10: The Mystery Solved



Joseph Rosenblum grew up in Connecticut in a family where the greatest sin was raising one's voice, though buying retail ran a close second. He received his B.A. from the University of Connecticut and his Ph.D. from Duke University. Since 1980, he has taught at UNCG. Among his books are "Shakespeare: An Annotated Bibliography" (1992) and "A Reader's Guide to Shakespeare" (1998). In 1990, he won second prize in the Oxford University Press English Detective Fiction contest with a story about a thief who leaves Shakespearean quotations in lieu of the objects he steals. In the summers, Dr. Rosenblum performs with the Stratford-upon-Avon players in England in their annual Shakespeare festival, where he is noted for his large and ebullient Falstaff. A certified ailurophile, Rosenblum lives in Greensboro, NC.*

* Warning: Some of this bio should be taken with a grain of salt.