Grading Scale: As stated in the Student Handbook, letter grades are determined based on the following scale:

Transcription

1 Instructor: Dr. Sara Fenske Course: Forensic Science Course Philosophy: This course is an introduction to Forensic Science,which emphasizes the process of science and includes topics in physics, chemistry and biology. Therefore, you will be briefly introduced to some of the ideas in all of these sciences. The success of this course depends on your participation and enthusiasm in learning the skills to solve mysteries. Course Requirements: 1) Forensic Science: Fundamentals and Investigations by Anthony J. Bertino 2) Binder for Handouts and paper for notes 3) Pencil or Pen (blue or black) 4) All handouts 5) Netbooks and access to the internet Grading Procedure: Grades are based on a combination of two major exams, tests, quizzes, writing assignments (including lab reports), and projects. Tests will be worth twice as much as quizzes and lab reports. As stated in the Student Handbook, To emphasize the importance of growth through the school year, the weight of each trimester grade has been changed. The first trimester will count as 15%, the second as 25%, the third as 35%, the midyear exam as 10%,and the final exam as 15%. Grading Scale: As stated in the Student Handbook, letter grades are determined based on the following scale: A- to A+: D- to D+: B- to B+: F: 0-59 C- to C+: Homework/ Classwork Policies: 1.Homework, writing and reading assignments must be completed by the assigned date. Any long-term projects should be worked on daily so that the task is completed on time and will earn the best grade. 2.Two major exams will be given, one mid-year and one at the end of the year. Both exams are cumulative. 3.All assignments should be turned in on the due date during the class period. The maximum score for any late assignments will decrease by 10% for every day late until the grade reaches a maximum score of 50%. Any work not turned in will receive a 0. 4.All work must be legibly written or typed, and grammatically correct. 5.Keep all handouts, homework, returned homework and exams in a binder. 6.Ask questions about any instructions that are not clear.

2 Classroom Policies: 1.Daily, prepared attendance is mandatory. The school s attendance policy will be strictly enforced. 2.You are solely responsible for any material covered or announcements made during your absence. 3.You are expected to treat everyone with respect at all times. 4.Cheating or plagiarism will result in a 0 grade for that assessment and may require you to appear before the honor code committee. 5.During all labs, safety comes first! To ensure that you understand what safe lab conduct is, you will be asked to sign a lab safety contract. 6.Finally, you are expected to ask questions about any material that is not clear. Do not worry about a question being too simple. If you don t understand, chances are others don t also (Yes, this is really true). Tentative Schedule: Week Topics Chapters 1 Observation Skills Ch. 1 2 Crime-Scene Investigation and Evidence Collection Ch. 2 3 The Study of Hair Ch. 3 4 The Study of Hair Ch. 3 5 A Study of Fibers and Textiles Ch. 4 6 A Study of Fibers and Textiles Ch. 4 7 Categories of Life 8 Pollen and Spore Examination Ch. 5 9 Pollen and Spore Examination Ch Fingerprints Ch. 6

3 11 Fingerprints Ch DNA and Genetics 13 Thanksgiving Break 14 DNA Fingerprinting Ch DNA Fingerprinting Ch Blood and Blood Splatter Ch Christmas Break 19 Blood and Blood Spatter Ch Drug Identification and Toxicology Ch Review/ Mid-Year Exam 22 Handwriting Analysis, Forgery, and Counterfeiting Ch Life Cycle of Insects Death: Meaning, Manner, Mechanism, Cause, and Time Death: Meaning, Manner, Mechanism, Cause, and Time Ch. 11 Ch Soil Examination Ch Soil Examination Ch. 12

4 28 Muscular and Skeletal Systems Spring Break Forensic Anthropology: What We Learn from Bones Forensic Anthropology: What We Learn from Bones Ch. 13 Ch Glass Evidence Ch Glass Evidence Ch Casts and Impressions Ch Tool Marks Ch Ballistics Ch Review for Final 39 Final Exam Week

5 Forensic Science Outline: I. Observation Skills A. Observation B. Observations by Witnesses i. Eyewitness Accounts ii. The Innocence Project iii. How to be a Good Observer C. Observations in Forensics II. Crime-Scene Investigation and Evidence Collection A. Principle of Exchange B. Types of Evidence C. The Crime-Scene Investigation Team D. The Seven S's of Crime-Scene Investigation i. Securing the Scene ii. Separating the Witnesses iii. Scanning the Scene iv. Seeing the Scene v. Sketching the Scene vi. Searching for Evidence vii. Securing and Collecting Evidence viii. Chain of Custody E. Analyze the Evidence F. Crime-Scene Reconstruction G. Staged Crime Scenes III.The Study of Hair A. History of Hair Analysis B. The Function of Hair C. The Structure of Hair i. The Cuticle ii. Types of Cortex iii. Types of Medulla iv. Types of Hair v. Hair from Different Parts of the Body

6 vi. The Life Cycle of Hair vii. Treated Hair viii. Racial Differences D. Animal Hair and Human Hair E. Using Hair in an Investigation i. Microscopy ii. Testing for Substances in the Hair Shaft iii. Testing the Hair Follicle IV.A Study of Fibers and Textile A. How Forensic Scientists Use Fibers B. Sampling and Testing C. Fiber and Textile Evidence i. Fiber Classification a) Natural Fibers b) Synthetic (Man-made) Fibers ii. Comparison of Natural and Synthetic Fibers D. Yarns E. Textiles V. Categories of Life A. Prokaryotes B. Eukaryotes i. Plants ii. Animals iii. Fungi iv. Protists VI. Pollen and Spore Examination A. Pollen Producers i. Gymnosperms ii. Angiosperms iii. Types of Pollination iv. Methods of Pollination B. Spore Producers i. Bacteria

7 ii. Spore Dispersal C. Pollen and Spore Identification in Solving Crimes i. Collecting Pollen and Spore Evidence at Crime Scenes a) Finding Pollen and Spores b) Collecting Pollen and Spores ii. Analyzing Pollen and Spore Samples VII. Fingerprints A. Historical Development B. What are Fingerprints i. Formation of Fingerprints ii. Characteristics of Fingerprints iii. Types of Fingerprints iv. Fingerprint Forensic FAQs a) Can Fingerprints be Altered or Disguised? b) How Reliable is Fingerprinting as a Means of Identification? c) How are Fingerprints Analyzed? d) How are Latent Fingerprints Collected? e) The Future of Fingerprinting VIII. DNA Fingerprinting A. History of Biological Evidence in Forensics B. The Function and Structure of DNA i. The Different DNA Bases ii. Genes and Alleles C. DNA Identification i. VNTR ii. STR iii. DNA Profile iv. Population Genetics and DNA Databases D. Sources of DNA E. Collection and Preservation of DNA Evidence i. Preparing DNA Samples for Fingerprinting ii. Steps of DNA Fingerprinting a) Extraction

8 b) Restriction Fragments c) Amplification d) Electrophoresis F. DNA and Probes i. Probes ii. Paternity G. Analysis of DNA Fingerprinting IX. Blood and Blood Spatter A. Blood History B. Function of Blood C. Composition of Blood i. Blood Cells ii. History of DNA Profiling iii. Blood Typing a) Discovery of Blood Types b) A and B Proteins c) Rh Factor d) Naming of Blood Types e) Antibodies f) Antigen-Antibody Response g) Agglutination h) Blood Typing Tests i) Additional Blood Proteins and Probability iv. Probability and Blood Types D. Blood Spatter i. History of Blood-Spatter Analysis ii. Blood-Spatter Analysis iii. Examination of Directionality of Blood iv. Lines of Convergence E. Crime-Scene Investigation of Blood X. Drug Identification and Toxicology A. A Brief History of Drug Identification and Toxicology i. Murder by Poison

9 ii. Accidental Drug Overdoses iii. Drugs and Crime iv. Controlled Substances v. Other Organic Toxins vi. Alcohols vii. Bacterial Toxins viii. Heavy Metals and Pesticides ix. Bioterrorism Agents XI. Handwriting Analysis, Forgery, and Counterfeiting A. History of Forensic Handwriting Analysis B. Introduction to Handwriting C. Handwriting Examination D. Counterfeiting XII. Life Cycle of Insects XIII. Death: Meaning, Manner, Mechanism, Cause and Time A. The Manner of Death B. Cause and Mechanism of Death C. Time of Death i. Livor Mortis ii. Rigor Mortis iii. Algor Mortis iv. Stomach and Intestinal Contents v. Changes of the Eye Following Death vi. Stages of Decomposition vii. Insects XIV. Soil Examination A. History of Forensic Soil Examination B. Soil Composition i. Soil Profiles ii. Chemistry of the Soil C. Sand i. Rounding ii. Mineral Composition of Sand

10 a) Continental Sand b) Volcanic Sand c) Skeletal (Biogenic) Sand d) Precipitate Sand D. Soil Collection E. Soil Examination XV. Muscular and Skeletal Systems XVI. Forensic Anthropology: What We Learn from Bones A. Historical Development B. Characteristics of Bone i. Development of Bone ii. Number of Bones iii. How Bones Connect iv. Aging of Bone C. What Bones Can Tell Us i. How to Distinguish Males from Females a) Skull b) Pelvis c) Thigh Bones ii. How to Distinguish Age a) Suture Marks b) Cartilaginous Lines c) Long Bones iii. How to Estimate Height iv. How to Distinguish Race v. Facial Reconstruction vi. DNA Evidence D. Skeletal Trauma Analysis XVII. Glass Evidence A. The History of Glass B. What is Glass C. Types of Glass D. Properties of Glass

11 i. Density ii. Calculating Density of a Piece of Glass iii. Refractive Index iv. Application of Refractive Index to Forensics v. Thickness of Glass vi. Fracture Patterns in Broken Glass a) Why Radial and Concentric Fractures Form b) Bullet Fractures XVIII. Casts and Impressions A. Types of Impressions B. Shoe Impressions i. Shoe Wear Patterns ii. Gait and Tracks iii. Collecting of Shoe Impression Evidence C. Dental Impressions i. Structure of Teeth ii. The Development of Teeth iii. Dental Patterns in Forensics XIX. Tool Marks A. Tools and Crime Scenes B. Tool Mark Impressions i. Indentation Marks ii. Abrasion Marks iii. Cutting Marks C. Tool Surface Characteristics D. Tool Mark Examination E. Analyzing Tool Mark Evidence XX. Ballistics A. History of Gunpowder and Firearms B. Firearms and Rifling C. Gunshot Residues D. Trajectory i. Calculating Trajectory

12 ii. Gravity and Trajectory E. Bullet Wounds