ENGH 201 Paper #2
Spring 2012

Paper #2 on Sherlock Holmes' methods is due on Tues March 27th at the beginning of class.  It should be 3+ pages, typed and double spaced, and include in-text citations and a Works Cited (MLA) or References (APA) page.  You can see sample papers and check your citations by studying the companion website to your ENGH101 writing handbook. For my students last semester, that would be Diana Hacker's Research and Documentation Online. 

You assignment is to discuss and analyze in detail the methods Holmes use in his investigations. Discuss at least three and analyze specific examples to develop and support your ideas.

A few of the techniques we will have discussed--or that you will see in A Study in Pink--include his reconstructions of past events using physical traces, his acting skill and use of disguises and staged situations, precise measurement and careful observation, the use of newspapers, gazetteers, and other sources of information, the Baker Street Irregulars, putting himself in the place of others, decoding encrypted or disguised communications, locating relevant documents, eliciting confessions, gossip and personal accounts, and social knowledge (what certain types of people are likely to do). You may also want to consider whether the demonstrations at the beginning of many of the stories depend on the same methods he uses to solve his cases. 

Along the way--or after you account of at least three methods--discuss the mix of scientific and a-scientific techniques in his approach as well as the larger question of what establishes Holmes' authority as an investigator within the stories. Since some of you think he makes lucky guesses, you could develop and support that claim as your thesis. Whatever your view, try to make some tentative generalizations about Holmes' methods using the examples you analyze and discuss their authority and scientific status.  Make sure to define what you mean by science.  Note that in our study of Sherlock Holmes, I have been arguing that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle popularized the idea that ordinary problems could be resolved by consulting a scientific professional. That does not mean that all of his methods are scientific. 

Make sure to provide specific examples and quotations with page cites from A Study in Scarlet, chapters 1 & 2 and A Sign of Four.  If you discuss A Study in Pink, also provide specific examples and some context for when the elements you discuss come up in the video.   

You can revise this paper (and paper #1) if you see a tutor.  Revisions of paper #1 and paper #2 are due Friday April 20th.   Note that two tutoring appointments will be required this semester for all students in the class.