From the streets of Dupin’s Paris to the fog of Holmes’s London, students will study logic informally in the guise of mystery stories. Logical topics include deduction vs. induction, the development of the scientific method, real detection cases, types of evidence, and common fallacies and biases. The reading list will include Edgar Allan Poe’s The Murders in the Rue Morgue, selections from three Sherlock Holmes stories, and two short detective stories by G.K. Chesterton. The course will conclude with a viewing of the classic legal drama Twelve Angry Men (1957), as students analyze how the jurors resolve a complex murder case despite their own fallacies and biases.

Class Meetings: Tuesdays, 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time
Dates: June 2 – July 28

Student Expectations: This course is entirely discussion-based. Students will need to read the week’s story and then participate actively by mic and webcam as they discuss it. They will do logic drills in the class meetings, but there will be no quizzes or written homework.

Student Support: The instructor is available by email.

Materials/Supplies: All materials will be provided by the instructor. Readings will be online, but parents are welcome to purchase their own copies of individual works. The Murders in the Rue Morgue is available as part of the Shadow Trilogy in the MCT language arts curriculum.