Introduction
This curriculum unit will investigate the detective novel series of three writers, Walter Mosley's Easy Rawlins series, Barbara Neely's Blanche series, and finally Chester Himes' Coffin Ed and Grave Digger series. The focus of the unit is to take students all the way through a curriculum study to make them familiar with African-American writers who have contributed exceptional mystery writing. This unit, more specifically, is intended to have students explore issues of race, economic status and gender in the creation of a story that uses the principles of the crime fiction genre.
In addition, students will learn to recognize the use of scientific methods, mainly in the police procedural aspect of Himes, and some problem solving (statistical probability) by deducing the criminal element in every story. Each of the chosen authors specifically focuses their writing during particular periods in the history of African-Americans. Therefore, students will learn writers' connections to historical context and come to understand why historical perspective is an important aspect of interpretation for comprehension. Location, settings and geographical imagery are of great importance to this unit, and students will have to connect the dots that locate the crime scene and the suspects surrounding the crime. Finally, this unit will attempt to expose and, I look forward to abolishing the foolishness of students believing in the irrational code of the street that "snitches get stitches." This code will be looked at from the perspective of the victim and the detective, stressing differences between right and wrong in withholding information.
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