ANTH 180 - Ethnography and Detective Fiction

Semester Offered: Fall
1 unit(s)

This course teaches concepts of cultural anthropology through the lens of detective fiction. It studies detective fiction from the development of the nineteenth century classic detective story to its most recent forms, focusing on novels in which indigenous detectives solve mysteries through their knowledge of their cultures. This particular genre of detective fiction can be considered “ethnographic” because of its reliance on local detectives operating as participant observers in their surrounding cultures. Detective novels are paired with relevant readings from the anthropological canon. Satisfies the requirement for introductory-level cultural anthropology. Ms. Goldstein.

Two 75-minute periods.