Detective Fiction and Forensics in collaboration.

Abstract

This case study focuses on the link between Detective Fiction, a literature course, and Forensics, a lab science course, and how this cluster allows students to evaluate criminal investigation from two disciplinary perspectives.

Learning is not a spectator sport. It requires students' direct and active involvement and participation.

--Johnson, Johnson, and Holubec Cooperative Learning in the Classroom

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Westminster College kept the above philosophy firmly in mind when it changed its general education curriculum in the mid-1990s. Faculty and students alike felt the structural shift from individualist to cooperative and collaborative learning, from competitive teaching and learning environments to team-based teaching and learning environments. This new structure challenged the entire campus community to reach across long-established pedagogical boundaries and beliefs, bring connections between disciplines into sharp focus, and move toward what Kenneth Bruffee calls an environment in which students can "govern themselves in a context of substantive engagement, conversation, and negotiation" (89). To launch a curricular change of this scale and to demonstrate the possibilities of interdisciplinary cooperative and collaborative learning communities, Westminster introduced the cluster course--two courses from two different disciplines offered in the same semester, taken by the same group of students and linked, for example, by common themes, topics, goals, outcomes, shared assignments, presentations, papers, or exams. The Detective Fiction and Forensics cluster, the subject of our case study here, demonstrates that the shift from old to new paradigms of teaching, like the one that Johnson, Johnson, and Smith lay out in Active Learning: Cooperation in the College Classroom (6-12), is possible not only within one college classroom but also within an interdisciplinary structure.

Like cooperative and collaborative learning, the cluster is not a new concept. In 1975, Clark University initially developed a model for clustering courses through grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities (Anderson 311). Since its inception, several variations on the original cluster concept have been put into practice. UCLA, for instance, offers a three quarter cluster course for first year students as part of the general education curriculum which focuses on an interdisciplinary topic and is team-taught by four faculty from different areas of expertise (Cornwell 9). At Babson College, the cluster model is used to integrate professional education and liberal education, sharing common content among three different courses (Anderson 317). Wesminster's cluster model links two courses from two different disciplines. By confining the cluster to two courses, a balanced is achieved between depth in a single discipline and interdisciplinary investigation.

With the two course model, the two professors teaching the courses can often attend each other's classes and participate in discussions and in-class activities. In this way, the students see faculty as learners too, sharing the risks of looking at something in a new way, asking questions, and applying knowledge to wider contexts. The faculty meet with the students twice as much as they normally would in a semester, and, consequently, get to know them better. Because the students are together more, working toward common goals, they also get to know each other well. The result is a supportive, safe atmosphere that encourages different opinions and viewpoints and stimulates interest. As David and Roger Johnson point out in an interview with Beth Panitz, "Hundreds of studies indicate that when students work together cooperatively, they like each other better; they care about each other more; they're interested in each other's success and well-being; and they feel more accepted" (41). We strive for this sense of community where the students and faculty work together to discover connections between the courses and relationships between two seemingly disparate subjects. Course titles like African American History and the Origins of Jazz; Changing Visions of Delinquency: Literature and Sociology; Native Expressions: Landscapes of Spirit and Stone; and Narratives and Numbers hint at the creativity and adventurous spirit behind the cluster course at Westminster College.

The cluster course, Tracking the Criminal through Science and Literature, links ENG 107, Detective Fiction, and SCI 150, Introduction to Forensic Science. It sprang, in part, from a conversation between two colleagues over lunch and in part from an awareness of what was swirling around in the popular culture, i. e. the tidal wave of interest in detective stories and television forensics shows. According to the New York Times, television coverage "made sensational crime news a permanent part of the national conversation" (Applebome B5). Consequently, our cluster evolved to some extent out of the public's fascination with crime.

Each course can be taught asa stand-alone course with its own objectives. However, when the courses are clustered, an interdisciplinary focus emerges. As a learning community, the students and faculty together evaluate the role of forensics from both literary and scientific perspectives. The students work in interdependent teams with a shared goal, hold each other accountable for the workload, use interpersonal skills to communicate with each other and "process asa group how effectively members are working together" (Johnson, Johnson and Smith, iv). But beyond the ingredients for successful cooperative learning, the cluster incorporates collaborative learning skills by shifting the classroom/lab authority to the student groups, which, as Bruffee states, "helps them learn the substance at issue not as a set of conclusive facts but as the constructed result of a disciplined social process of conversation, inquiry, and negotiation" (90). When possible, we schedule these two clustered courses back-to-back on the same day in the same classroom, thus creating a sense of community even with the physical space, maintaining the continuity of the subject matter, and slicing a block of time according to the dictates of the material and assignments.

As a stand-alone course, SCI 150 fulfills a lab science requirement as part of the Liberal Arts curriculum at Westminster. According to the college catalog description, SCI 150 is "a study of the science behind forensic investigations" in which "case studies are used to link the science with real world examples" and "laboratory experiences involve using forensic analysis techniques to solve a 'crime'" (227). The primary text is Richard Saferstein's Criminalistics; supporting materials include The Casebook of Forensic Detection: How Science Solved 100 of the World's Most Baffling Crimes, Dead Reckoning: The New Science of Catching Killers, Discovery Channel's Forensics Files, and A&E's Cold Case Files. Current events, such as the Laci Peterson case, provide interesting examples and a platform for in-class discussion.

SCI 150 fulfills the objectives of the lab science requirement by using concepts in forensic science to exemplify the scientific method. Important forensics topics covered in class include processing the crime scene, Locard's Exchange Principle1, and class versus individual evidence, to name a few. Practical forensic considerations regarding fingerprints, arson, firearms, and document examination are also discussed. One should not be led to believe, however, that SCI 150 is a fluff course. Difficult scientific areas, such as statistics and probability, genetics and the role of DNA fingerprinting, toxicology, and chemical instrumentation, certainly challenge the students. Weekly lab meetings provide the students hands-on experience with various forensics techniques covered in lecture.

Detective Fiction as a stand-alone course examines American and British detective fiction and the cultures in which these texts (both literary and filmic) are created. We analyze the American "hard-boiled" approach versus the British "arm chair" approach to this genre, looking at characteristics which include narrative structures, plot devices, themes, stylistic flourishes, characterizations, and the function of detective heroes within the stories. Students have the opportunity to research and read the major writers of detective fiction and explore how many of these authors have used detective fiction as social commentary, and, how, at the very least, their texts reflect the values, achievements, and social structures of their time.

For both SCI 150 and ENG 107, the emphasis shifts slightly when these two courses are clustered. The essence of the cluster experience is the opportunity to cross disciplinary boundaries with linked assignments and, as Deborah DeZure writes, "work toward a synthesis--a new, more comprehensive view than allowed by the vision of any one field" (par. 3). Syllabi for both courses reflect a collaborative effort in the design of this cluster. Working together, we decide which assignments will be linked and how they will be linked. In the cluster, we look at detective fiction through the lens of forensics and forensics through the lens of detective fiction. The logical focus then becomes how authors use forensic science in their novels, providing students with a chalk line that directly connects the two courses.

Reading the texts chronologically maintains this clear connection between the courses. Starting with the earliest novels, like Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes mystery, The Hound of the Baskervilles, and moving forward in time illustrates the evolutionary are of forensics techniques in literature and parallels the scientific history that the students learn in the forensics course. In this way, students can do a bit of investigating themselves, as they read to see whether a writer has included the latest forensics techniques of the day in any given work. The movement from the great British writers of detective fiction to their American counterparts points up the differences in the method and extent to which these two styles incorporate forensics. To demonstrate, a typical semester reading list (ENG 107) with corresponding forensics emphases (SCI 150) might look something like this:

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, The Hound of the Baskervilles (novel) and film adaptation

* History of Forensics

* Method of Observation Agatha Christie, Murder on the Orient Express (novel) and film adaptation

* Evidence and Clues

* Power of Deduction Dorothy L. Sayers, Have His Carcase (novel) and film adaptation

* Serology 

* Preservation of Evidence P.D. James, Death of an Expert Witness (novel) and film adaptation

* The Forensics Laboratory

* Biological Specimen Analysis Dashell Hammett, The Maltese Falcon (novel) and film adaptation

* American Hard-Boiled Detective

* Use of Fate not Forensics

Jeffery Deaver, The Bone Collector (novel) and film adaptation

* Modern Forensic Technology

* Processing the Scene

Patricia Cornwell, Portrait of a Killer: Jack the Ripper Case Closed (non-fiction) and one film adaptation on Jack the Ripper

* DNA Fingerprinting

* Criminal Profiling

* Document Examination

When applicable, we watch the film adaptations of these novels and discuss how directors bring the forensic techniques to the screen. As we have noticed, students are quick to point out the forensic faux pas in both the novels and the films, and they've found some glaring mistakes since fiction is not necessarily guided by scientific accuracy but rather by the demands of telling a good story through plot and character. On the other hand, their knowledge of scientific forensic techniques helps them better appreciate writers and directors who take the time to do their research and get it right, using forensic techniques to build a good "puzzle" and capture our imagination. Jeffrey Deaver's The Bone Collector typifies both nicely. In classroom discussion, the students note that a rookie cop with no formal training would not "work the scenes" of an important case as Deaver fictionalizes but also observe the accurate detail with which Deaver describes soil analysis by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.

Guest speakers supplement the texts by bringing expertise and real-world examples to the classroom that we are not able to provide. These guest speakers strengthen the link between the two courses as they provide a unique venue for the students to explore both literary and scientific perspectives. Opportunities to learn from the experts give the students the knowledge to read detective fiction more critically and also to understand the practical application of forensics techniques. Through local or alumni connections, we have been able to bring in a variety of guests, including a district attorney, a forensic odontologist, a DNA expert, and a retired FBI agent and crime writer. Guest speakers like these exemplify consultation in education at work.

Linking the assignments in the cluster requires consultation and collaboration on the part of the professors. Quiz and exam questions specific to each course reflect the cross-disciplinary nature of the cluster. On a SCI 150 quiz, for example, students are given a list of forensics terms, such as control sample, class characteristics, and forensics pathology, and asked to provide a definition and a specific example related to each concept from P.D. James' Death of an Expert Witness. Presentations in Detective Fiction include a review of the forensic science at the time the novels were written while each Forensic Science class begins with a list of forensics topics referred to in the previous ENG 107 meeting, serving asa physical reminder of the connection between the two courses. The final exam also reflects a synthesis of both disciplines. During the exam period, we put the students into small groups, and randomly assign each group two forensic techniques (from a previously supplied review list). The students are able to use their texts and notes to pull together a presentation explaining each forensic technique, illustrating them with specific examples from the detective novels. We utilize a question and answer period following each presentation to assess the group's deeper understanding of the subject and/or to probe an individual's comprehension of the material. Using a rubric sheet that lists our grading criteria for the final, the professors independently evaluate the students' work during the presentations, and then compare and discuss the grades immediately after the exam.

The two major papers required for Detective Fiction integrate knowledge from both disciplines. For their first paper, students are given a list of seven topics, each one allowing them to analyze the conventions of the classic detective story, the characteristics and methods of the writers and their famous sleuths, as well as the forensics techniques involved. Here's an example of one:</p> <pre> Write a paper in which you analyze how a modern day forensic scientist would solve the case of The Hound of the Baskervilles, always comparing the modern methods to what actually occurs in the novel/film. Include specific references to the novel and film adaptation to illustrate your points. </pre> <p>The second paper, discussed below, directly ties into what we consider the culminating cluster experience, the mock crime scene, which nicely links Forensic Science and Detective Fiction. Here's an example of a typical crime scenario: The table was set for ten. Only nine sat down.</p> <pre> The President's wife bustled to and fro from the kitchen to the dining room, fussing about the snacks for the Westminster College Faculty and Staff Social Committee meeting. She had two people from the committee helping her, but they were mostly standing around talking to the others, who were busy stuffing hors d'oeuvres into their mouths and swilling soda--especially the Dean. Today, the group was planning an end-of-the-year mixer, and the President's wife graciously had agreed to play hostess. She'd been apprehensive at first. Academics were a tough bunch, no doubt. Add the staff, and, well, just no telling where this might lead. She surveyed the room and noted the high spirits, ft might not be so bad. Everyone seemed relaxed, laughing, into their conversations. Finally, someone decided the meeting should begin, and about 10 minutes later, people started finding their places around the table and began to skim the agenda before them. "Wait. The Dean's missing. So is Jim Perkins,'" one of the members noted. As if on cue, Perkins, a senior faculty member, burst through the patio door into the dining room. All heads turned, eyes locked on their colleague. He stood for a moment, looking shaken and stirred, until his voice cut through the silence. "The Dean is dead," he murmured numbly and slid into the nearest chair. Twenty minutes later, the W-CSI team was on the job. </pre> <p>In the mock crime scene, we develop a careful plot which requires the students to use the forensics techniques learned in class/lab and also to observe the scene with the keen eye of an author. The crime occurs on the campus where a willing victim is "murdered," as in the above "Case of the Dead Dean." Evidence is planted, and faculty, staff, and administrators serve as suspects or witnesses. Prior to the crime, the students organize themselves into groups with team leaders. One group processes the scene by recording the scene and collecting evidence. Another group serves as a lab group, analyzing evidence and writing reports. A third group works as investigators, interrogating suspects and witnesses and putting the pieces together with the forensics evidence to reconstruct the scene. While such a mock crime scene might appear to be a frivolous task, the professors and team leaders set the tone. To help ensure seriousness, we establish guidelines and expect proper procedures from the students, including maintaining a chain of custody record on all evidence and obtaining search warrants (to avoid trivial bothering of participating staff). Historically, the students have taken the mock crime scene very seriously and have worked in collaboration for many hours outside of class time to arrive at a likely sequence of events. In fact, the most recent class arrived on scene in professionally printed "W-CSI" t-shirts, which they had made on their own, demonstrating their enthusiasm for the crime scene scenario. While investigating the forensic aspect of the mock crime scene, the students are also trying their own hand at detective fiction. They write a short story that corresponds to their findings of the mock crime scene with consideration given to the elements of the crime novel, including plot, pacing, characterization, motivation, theme, and the careful application of forensics. This assignment compels the students to demonstrate a synthesis of both scientific and literary perspectives.

To showcase the students' work from the mock crime scene, we invite the entire campus community to attend a poster presentation and find out "who done it." The individual teams pull their work together and create posters covering the scene and evidence, forensics analyses, and investigation results. The students' short stories based on the scene are also on display for the public to read. Tremendous support from faculty, staff, and interested students demonstrates the appeal of the interdisciplinary cluster course.

The cluster course, Tracking the Criminal through Science and Literature, presents the student with both scientific and literary perspectives. Through SCI 150, students become familiar with the principles and practice of the scientific method in the context of forensics. Through ENG 107, students become versed in the literature of British and American detective fiction and the cultures which inspire these works. By clustering the two courses, however, new values for the students arise. Working in an interdisciplinary community, with a new paradigm of cooperation and collaboration in teaching and learning, students leave Detective Fiction and Forensics with the skills to read detective fiction and current criminal cases with a more critical eye as well as to understand forensics and its limitations. They develop an appreciation for interdisciplinary investigation and recognize that issues should not be approached from a single perspective, that each disciplinary perspective has its own weaknesses and limitations. Through cooperation and collaboration, they learn how to work together toward a common goal and assume responsibility for each other, themselves, and the learning process.

References

Anderson, Albert A. "Three Kinds of Goodness: Cluster Courses as a Model for Contemporary Higher Education." Studies in Higher Education 16 (1991): 309-318.

Applebome, Peter. "With Sexier TV Image, Forensic Science Reaps Rewards in Popularity." New York Times 6 Oct. 2004: B5.

Bruffee, Kenneth A. Collaborative Learning: Higher Education, Interdependence, and the Authority of Knowledge. Baltimore and London: The Johns Hopkins UP, 1999.

Cornwell, Tim. "California Dreams of Cluster Courses." Times Higher Education Supplement Mar. 1997: 9.

DeZure, Deborah. "Interdisciplinary Teaching and Learning." The Professional & Organizational

Development Network in Higher Education. 18 Jul. 2005. <http:/www.podweb.org>.

Johnson, D. W., Johnson, R. T. and Edythe J. Holubec. Cooperative Learning in the Classroom. Alexandria: ASCD.

Johnson, D. W., Johnson, R. T. and Karl A. Smith. Active Learning: Cooperation in the College Classroom. Edina: Interaction Book Company, 1991.

Panitz, Beth. "Brotherly Cooperation." ASEE Prism vol. 6 May/June (1997): 40-3.

Westminster College. 2004-:2005 Undcrgraduate Catalog. New Wilmington, PA: Westminster College, 2004.

[1] Locard's Exchange Principle refers to a cross-transfer of evidence among suspect, victim, and crime scene.

Helen M. Boylan, Westminster College, PA

Deborah C. Mitchell, Westminster College, PA

Boylan, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor of Chemistry and Mitchell, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor of English and Film Studies.