CLOSED A Mastery of Mysteries

Middle School Level | This course is completed

Middle School Level

Wednesday, January 11, 2017-Wednesday, April 19, 2017

10:30 AM-11:30 AM EDT on Wed

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$215.00

Total classes: 13
Class dates: Wednesdays, January 11 to April 19, 2017. No class March 1 for Ash Wednesday and April 12 for Holy Week.
Starting time: 10:30 Eastern (9:30 Central; 8:30 Mountain; 7:30 Pacific)
Duration: 45 minutes
Prerequisite: None
Suggested grade level: 6th to 8th grade
Instructor: Kevin O’Brien
Course description: In this course, students will strive to become “mystery masters”! We will read some of the greatest mystery stories of all time, including tales of detectives such as Sherlock Holmes, Father Brown, Nancy Drew, the Hardy Boys and mysteries by Christian writers such as Dorothy Sayers, G. K. Chesterton and others. We will not only examine the structure and content of mystery stories, but also try our hand at writing our own short mysteries! Plus mini-mysteries will be read and solved in every class session.

  • Homework: Quizzes and Final Exam. Students will be asked to write a final project mystery story to be graded by the instructor. Plan on about four hours of homework, mostly reading, per week.
  • Course materials: Public domain mysteries will be provided by the instructor. Each student will need Gaudy Night by Dorothy L. Sayers (www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0062196537/catholictreas-20), The Mousetrap and Other Plays by Agatha Christie (www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0062094467/catholictreas-20), and The Secret of the Old Clock (Nancy Drew, Book One), www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0448095017/catholictreas-20.
O'Brien, Kevin

Although an atheist at an early age, Kevin’s experiences with the dramatic arts began a conversion process, that, with the help of the writings of G. K. Chesterton, eventually brought him into the Catholic Church. Kevin hosts the television series The Theater of the Word on EWTN and can also be seen on episodes of EWTN’s The Apostle of Common Sense, The Quest for Shakespeare, and The Journey Home. He also portrays J. R. R. Tolkien on several Tolkien specials hosted by Joseph Pearce. Most recently Kevin has appeared in two movies, Manalive, based on the novel by G. K. Chesterton, and To Follow the Light: the Conversion of John Henry Newman. In addition, Kevin has performed and produced 35 audio books, and is the only person in history to play every part in a Shakespeare play (twice!), which he did for his audio readings of The Merchant of Venice and Macbeth for Ignatius Press. Also, Kevin and author Joseph Pearce are the co-founders of the website The Christian Shakespeare, which publishes essays demonstrating the Catholic worldview of the world's greatest dramatist ( www.christianshakespeare.com). Kevin is also a writer and regular contributor to The St. Austin Review and Gilbert Magazine. ACS Press will be publishing his autobiography in 2016. For more information, visit www.thewordinc.org