EGL 271 - Dark Deeds: Crime in the Adirondacks

Course Units: 1.0

(Not Offered this Academic Year) Merriam Webster defines a crime as an illegal act for which someone can be punished by the government; especially: a gross violation of law. A crime, however, is also defined in moral and ethical terms, as a grave offense, especially against morality; something reprehensible, foolish, or disgraceful. Students in this course will explore a variety of literary and historical illustrations of each of these types of crimes as they have occurred in the Adirondack Mountains throughout history. As we investigate various illegal acts in the Adirondacks, we will also examine underlying moral crimes, such as poverty and economic depression, which have the potential to lead individuals toward a life of crime. We will explore Chester Gillette’s 1906 murder of Grace Brown at Big Moose Lake and the highly sensationalized murder trial that ensued, alongside Theodore Dreiser’s 1925 novel that was based on the murder and criminal case. We will analyze the prison system in the Adirondacks, and we’ll investigate various mobsters who stayed in Saratoga Springs during the Prohibition Era. We will also explore the crime of contagion as we read works written about tuberculosis and various sanatoriums in Saranac Lake. Part of our class time will be held at the Kelly Adirondack Center (KAC), working in the Adirondack Research Library. Prerequisite(s): One 100-level English course or a score of 5 on the AP English Language or Literature and Composition test. CC: HUL, HUM, WAC ISP: AMS, ENS