Courses

• GMS FA 709: Medicolegal Death Investigation
  This lecture based course will provide the student with an overview of the basic practices and principles of medioclegal death investigations. Specific lectures will cover the procedures and skills necessary to conduct a thorough medicolegal investigation of death, knowledge of various types of traumatic injuries, the knowledge necessary to understand the characteristics that differentiate the manners of death and the skills to conduct an appropriately directed investigation. The curriculum will prepare the students to take the national certification examinations offered by the American Board of Medicolegal Death Investigators. A general knowledge of anatomy is recommended prior to enrollment. Laposata. 2 cr
• GMS FA 711: Forensic Pathology
  This lecture-based course will provide the student with an overview of the role of the medical examiner as it relates to death investigations. Specific lectures will cover autopsy procedures in the investigation of gunshot wounds, sharp and blunt trauma, drowning, asphyxia, child deaths, motor vehicle accidents and time since death determination. A general knowledge of anatomy is strongly suggested. Laposata. 3 cr
• GMS FA 712: Osteology
  This course is designed to provide the student with an overview of basic human osteology with an emphasis on structure and function of various bones typically used by forensic anthropologists in human identification and in the investigation of traumatic and sudden deaths. At the completion of this course the student will be well versed in the anatomy, growth, landmarks and surface anatomy of all bone in the human skeleton. They will have completed hands-on experience with handling, measuring and identifying real human skeleton components. In addition, the methods of recovery and preservation of human skeletal remains will be practiced. Siwek. 4 cr, Fall sem.
• GMS FA 718: Special Topics in Forensic Anthropology: Outdoor Crime Scene
  Prereq: consent of instructor. This course will provide students with an overview of physical evidence found at outdoor crime scenes of buried or scattered human remains. Focus will involve the recognition, documentation, and collection of physical evidence and the review of real cases in which human remains have been recovered and how physical evidence was used to help solve the crime. L'Italien. 3 cr, Fall sem.
• GMS FA 720: Forensic Anthropology Internship
  Prereq: consent of instructor. Students registered in this course will be expected to complete an approved internship in an anthropology or archaeology field school, forensic, or medicolegal setting. Faculty. 2 cr, on demand.
• GMS FA 722: Anatomical Sciences for the Forensic Anthropologist
  Prereq: consent of the instructor. The central emphasis of this course will be on the gross morphological features of the human body with a modest treatment of function. Although forensic anthropologists typically deal with soft tissues post-mortem and/or skeltonized remains, this course will expose students to preserved tissues and the "normal" appearance of these tissues. Siwek, Moore. 4 cr, Fall sem.
• GMS FA 740: Seminar in Forensic Anthropology
  Prereq: FA 705, FA 710 and consent of instructors. This course will provide students with an extensive knowledge of past and current research within the field of forensic anthropology. In addition, this course will foster critical thinking skills for students and include discussions of ethics and professional standards. Prince Zinni. 2 cr, Spring sem.
• GMS FA 755: Forensic Anthropology Directed Study
  Prereq: consent of the instructor. Students will have the opportunity to develop a directed study in a specialized area of forensic anthropology or archaeology that is of particular interest. Faculty. 2 cr, all sem.
• GMS FA 760: Research in Forensic Anthropology
  Prereq: consent of instructor. This course is designed to facilitate the students' thesis research. Faculty. Var cr, Fall and Spring sem.
• GMS FA 761: Research
  
• GMS FA 800: Field Methods in Forensic Anthropology
  This course will provide students with a sound basis for archaeological methods applied to a variety of forensic settings. Students will learn core concepts from academic archaeology and how forensic archaeology differs from traditional methods. Prince Zinni. 2 cr
• GMS FA 804: Experimental Design and Statistics for Forensic Anthropologists
  The goal of this course is to provide a working understanding of experimental design and statistical analysis that are appropriate for various types of anthropological based experiments and for the analysis of skeletal remains for unknown individuals. Killiany. 2 cr
• GMS FA 805: Advanced Crime Scene Investigation
  Prereq: GMS FS 701 Crime Science Investigation. This hands-on and lecture-based course will provide students with methods and underlying theories related to specialized aspects of crime scene processing. Topics 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. Brodeur, Martin. 2 cr
• GMS FA 806: Advanced Human Osteology
  This course builds on the topics covered in GMS FA 712 Human Osteology by exploring human osteology in greater depth and will include lectures and extensive experience with radiographical material. Siwek. 4 cr
• GMS FC 701: Foundations in Biomedical Sciences I: Protein Structure, Catalysis and Interaction
  The first module of the Foundations in Biomedical Science course "Protein structure, catalysis and interactions" will provide students with a quantitative understanding of protein structure, function, posttranslational modification and the turnover of proteins in the cell. In addition, students will gain facility with thermodynamics, catalysis, kinetics and binding equilibria as they apply to proteins and also to other molecules in biological systems (e.g. nucleic acids, lipids, vitamins, etc.). This course is part of a series of four core integrated courses and additional elective courses aimed towards first year Ph.D. students in the Division of Graduate Medical Sciences. The four cores will be integrated in content and structure, and therefore are intended to be taken as a complete, progressive sequence. McKnight, Nugent. 2 cr, Fall sem.
• GMS FC 702: Foundations in Biomedical Sciences II: Structure and Function of the Genome
  The second module of the Foundations in Biomedical Sciences course will focus on the mechanisms of biological processes that influence the inheritance, regulation, and utilization of genes. Genetic and genomic, molecular, cell biological, and biochemical experimental approaches to understanding these processes will be explored. In addition, we will discuss the possibilities of utilizing these technologies in medical treatments. This course I part of a series of four core integrated courses and additional elective courses aimed towards first year Ph.D. students in the Division of Graduate Medical Sciences. The four cores will be integrated in content and structure, and therefore are intended to be taken as a complete, progressive sequence. Dasgupta, Viglianti. 2 cr, Fall sem.
• GMS FC 703: Foundations in Biomedical Sciences III: Architecture & Dynamics of the Cell
  The third module of the Foundations in Biomedical Sciences course will focus on the movement of proteins and membranes with the cell, the secretory process, the cytoskeletal framework of the cell and the resulting cell-cell interaction and communication with the matrix. Molecular, cell biological, and biochemical experimental approaches to understanding these processes will be explored. In addition, we will discuss the possibilities of utilizing these technologies in medical treatments. This course is part of a series of four core integrated courses and additional elective courses aimed towards first year Ph.D. students in the Division of Graduate Medical Science. The four cores will be integrated in content and structure, and therefore are intended to be taken as a complete, progressive sequence. Trinkaus-Randall, Zoeller. 2 cr, Fall sem.
• GMS FC 704: Foundations in Biomedical Sciences IV: Mechanisms of Cell Communication
  The fourth module of the Foundations in Biomedical Sciences course will focus on the mechanisms of cell communication. This module will begin by discussing overarching concepts before examining the specific types of molecules that initiate and transduce signals. Examples of cell signaling and subsequent cellular responses will then be considered in different contexts to provide a framework on which future learning can be applied. As the module progresses, the complexity of the systems explored will increase from individual cells to multicellular environments such as tissues, organs, and organisms. In addition, normal processes as well as the dysregulation of cell-cell communication is disease will be studied. This course is part of a series of four core integrated courses and additional elective courses aimed towards first year Ph.D. students in the Division of Graduate Medical Sciences. The four cores will be integrated in content and structure, and therefore are intended to be taken as a complete progressive sequence. Symes, Hsu. 2 cr, Spring sem.
• GMS FS 700: Criminal Law and Ethics
  Prereq: consent of instructor. An overview of legal, ethical and practical issues of forensic science, the impact of forensic science on the justice system and a discussion of traditional and emerging admissibility standards involving forensic science evidence is given. The curriculum will include a description of the roles law enforcement, attorneys and forensic scientists, professional standards for the practice of criminalistics and ethical issues in forensic pathology, psychiatry and crime scene investigation. Breen. 2 cr
• GMS FS 701: Crime Scene Investigation
  Prereq: consent of instructor. This combination hands-on and lecture based course will provide students with an in-depth review of crime scene assessment and management. Methods of identifying, documenting, collecting and packaging physical evidence from various types of crime scenes are discussed. A hands-on component will be employed in areas such as crime scene sketching, photography and evidence collection. Brodeur. 3 cr

Back to full list of Division of Graduate Medical Sciences