This lecture-based course will provide thorough understanding regardingi procedures used by forensic investigators and law enforcement officials to identify human beings.    Trace evidence examinations, forensic odontology, Automated Fingerprint Identification Systems (AFIS) and Combined DNA Indexing Systems (CODIS) are some of the topics that will be discussed.   Human cadavers provided by the Anatomical Sciences Laboratory in the Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology may be utilized as teaching aids to provide hands-on experience.

This lecture-based course will provide a history of forensic anthropology, a detailed overview of human osteology and detailed discussion of protocols and procedures used by forensic anthropologists in the examination of human remains. In addition, lectures will include a description of types of bone and soft tissue trauma, the stages and processes of human decomposition and the techniques and procedures used by law enforcement officials and forensic odontologists in investigations involving skeletonized remains. Hands-on experience with the measurement and analysis of human skeletal components will be provided to the students.

This laboratory-based course will provide hands-on experience with the methods, techniques and instruments used to analyze trace evidence, such as glass, paint, hairs and fibers, with the ultimate goal of identifying and comparing known trace evidence materials with questioned samples.   Prerequisite: Trace Evidence Analysis.

This lecture and lab-based course will provide students with fundamental knowledge in the area of bloodstain pattern analysis including the scientific principles and practical applications of bloodstain pattern analysis to forensic casework. The procedures and methods for recognition, documentation and evaluation of bloodstain patterns will be covered. Additionally, the principles of physics, blood dynamics and the geometric significance of bloodstain patterns will be explored. Prerequisite: Crime Scene Investigation.

Anatomy and Osteology for Forensic Investigators

This lecture-based course will provide an overview of human anatomy that will prepare students for understanding forensic autopsy reports and conducting medicolegal death investigations.   Lectures are based on the regional study of the human body and are divided into three sections: (1) back and limbs, (2) thorax, abdomen and pelvis, and (3) head and neck. Students will be introduced to surface anatomy, basic physiology, embryology, and radiological anatomy.   Students will be provided with several opportunities during the semester to observe dissections of human cadavers in the Anatomical Sciences Laboratory in the Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology.   Anatomical structures discussed in class will be demonstrated during these laboratory sessions.

This course will provide an introduction to a variety of instrumentation and equipment utilized in the forensic laboratory and detail the methods used by forensic scientists for chemical and trace evidence analysis.

This hands-on and lecture-based course will provide students with methods and underlying theories related to specialized aspects of crime scene processing.   Topics covered will include techniques and principles utilized in search and recovery of human remains. Forensic entomology, mechanisms of human decomposition, use of ground penetrating radar, soil composition, excavation, telltale disturbances in flora and the presence of animal activity will be examined.   A semester-long practical exercise will include the search and recovery of mock remains and the reconstruction of events.   Prerequisite: Crime Scene Investigation.

This lecture-based course will provide information on the important methods of analysis of most commonly abused illicit substances. They include: marijuana, cocaine, opiates, hallucinogens and amphetamines. Additionally, we will cover the production, distribution and history of these commonly abused drugs. Laboratory accreditation requirements will also be discussed. Prerequisite: Forensic Chemistry.

Forensic Biology Laboratory

This laboratory-based course will give students an opportunity to apply the principles of forensic biology to actual samples.   Techniques utilized will include screening tests, methods used to confirm the presence of specific biological material(s), microcrystalline tests, catalytic color tests, antigen-antibody interactions, gel diffusion and microscopic identification of cellular material. Concurrent/Prerequisite: Forensic Biology.

This lab-based course will provide theory and practice in procedures used in forensic DNA analysis.   Sessions will include use of several DNA extraction techniques, clean technique for contamination prevention, real time PCR for human DNA quantitation, PCR amplification of STR loci and DNA profile analysis.   Concurrent/Prerequisite: Forensic DNA Analysis.

This course will build on topics presented in the Forensic DNA Analysis course and laboratory. It will provide an in-depth review and discussion of the techniques and methodology used in a forensic DNA laboratory.

This lecture-based course will provide students with an understanding of advanced analytical techniques utilized by modern state and national forensic laboratories. Lecture topics will include: Tandem techniques such as GC/MS-MS and LC/MS-MS, high-resolution techniques such as FT-MS and ICP-MS, Raman, Ion Mobility, and Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy and X-Ray Fluorescence.   Prerequisite: Forensic Chemistry.  

This lecture-based course will provide the student with an overview of the art and science of homicide investigation, with an emphasis on the "art".   An actual murder investigation and subsequent trial will be used to highlight the investigatory and legal issues an investigator may face, as well as the social and political context in which homicide investigations take place.

This lecture-based course will provide an overview of the pharmacology, pharmacokinetics and toxicology of common drugs of interest to the forensic toxicologist.   An emphasis will be placed on applying the principles of pharmacokinetics to the interpretation of drug blood and urine levels, and on developing an understanding of how drugs (including ethanol) interact with the biology and physiology of the human body.   Students will also acquire knowledge of the chemical structure of common drugs.   Each class will end with a 15-minute discussion of an actual case which student will have received the previous week. .