Community College of Philadelphia Department of Biology Forensic Biology Syllabus

Transcription

1 Community College of Philadelphia Department of Biology Forensic Biology Syllabus Course Reference Number (CRN): Course: BIOL 104 Section: 001 Credits: 4 Schedule: Class M 1:00pm 2:30pm W3-39 Lab W 1:00pm 3:00pm W3-39 Class F 1:00pm 2:30pm W3-39 Course Description: This is an introductory course in the field of forensic science with a focus on forensic biology. Little or no prior knowledge of science is required. Lectures and assigned readings will supply enough background information to enable the student to understand topics and techniques used in forensic science. This course will cover several disciplines within forensic biology and expose the student to the breadth of the field of forensic science. In doing so, students will gain a basic understanding of the capabilities and limitations of the forensic sciences as they are presently practiced in the field. Student Learning Outcomes: 1. Describe the basic principles and recognize the major fields of forensic science. 2. Describe and demonstrate the techniques used to locate, collect, identify, and inventory relevant evidence found at a crime scene. 3. Describe and demonstrate the value and necessity of ethics, integrity, and professionalism in forensic science. 4. Describe and demonstrate the techniques used for the gross examination of human remains. 5. Describe and demonstrate the techniques used to characterize trace evidence, including tissues and body fluids. 6. Describe and demonstrate the molecular techniques used in forensic science, including the analysis of DNA. 1

2 Course Materials: Saferstein, R. (2011) Criminalistics: An Introduction to Forensic Science. 10 th Edition. Pearson (ISBN ) safety glasses gloves (preferably non-latex) Professor: Kristy Shuda McGuire, M.S., Ph.D. Office: W4-7 Office Phone: (215) Office Hours: M 9:00am 10:15am, 11:30am 1:00pm, 2:30pm 3:30pm W 9:00am 10:15am F 12:30pm 1:00pm, 2:30pm 3:00pm or by appointment Attendance Policy: Students are expected to attend all class and lab sessions unless prevented from doing so by illness or other emergency. Students must sign in to receive credit for attending class and lab. Attendance will be reported at the 20% and 50% points in the semester. As per College policy if you miss more than two (2) weeks worth of work (which is only four (4) class or two (2) lab sessions!), I reserve the right to drop you from the course. Withdrawal Policy: A student may withdraw from the course with a grade of W until, April 7, Please contact me before you decide to withdraw from the course, but note that it is your responsibility to turn in the appropriate forms in order to receive a W instead of an F. Conduct: Students are held accountable to the College s Code of Conduct as listed in the Student Handbook. Students are expected to come to class on time and prepared to learn. If you are late to class, please quietly take a seat. If you are more than 10 minutes late to lab, I reserve the right to deny admittance for your safety and the safety of others in the lab. In order not to disrupt other students learning, please set all cell phones to a silent mode. You may bring food and drinks to class, but please clean up after yourself. No food or drinks are allowed in the lab. Calendar: Introductions, Syllabus Lab Safety, Lab 1 Scientific Measurements Chapter 1 Introduction No Class- Martin Luther King, Jr. Day 2

3 *Lab 2 Locard s Principle Chapter 2 The Crime Scene Chapter 3 Physical Evidence *Lab 3 Cause of Death Autopsy *Lab 3 Cause of Death Autopsy (cont.) Supplementary Information on Human Remains Exam I Review Exam I (Chapters 1-3, Supplementary Information, Labs 1-3), Chapter 16 Fingerprints *Lab 4 Fingerprinting Chapter 7 The Microscope Chapter 13 Hairs, Fibers, and Paint *Lab 5 Hairs and Fibers Chapter 10 Forensic Serology Chapter 10 Forensic Serology (cont.) *Lab 6 Blood Chapter 12 Crime-Scene Reconstruction: Bloodstain Pattern Analysis No Class- Spring Break No Lab- Spring Break No Class- Spring Break Exam II Review Exam II (Chapters 16, 7, 13, 10, and 12, Labs 4-6) Chapter 8 Drugs 3

4 TBA: April Chapter 9 Forensic Toxicology *Lab 7 Analysis of Drugs and Poisons Chapter 11 DNA: The Indispensable Forensic Science Tool Chapter 11 DNA: The Indispensable Forensic Science Tool (cont.) *Lab 8 DNA Extraction TBA Student Presentations *Lab 9 Pipetting and PCR Student Presentations Chapter 20 The Future *Lab 10 DNA Fingerprinting Analysis of DNA Results Exam III Review Exam III (Chapters 8, 9, 11 and 20, Student Presentations, Labs 7-10) TBA Review Potential Make-up Day Potential Make-up Day Potential Make-up Day/Study Day Departmental Final Exam Evaluation: 4

5 Exams (3 x 100 pts.) 300 Lab Exercises (10 x 20 pts.) 200 Class Assignments (12 x 10 pts.) 120 Presentation pts. Make-up exams will only be given with written documentation. Late work will be accepted until the assignment or lab is returned to the class, generally one week from the due date. Points will be deducted from all work turned in late. To determine your grade, add up your points earned, divide by the total number of points and then multiply by % A 89-80% B 79-70% C 69-60% D <59% F Academic Dishonesty: Students assignments must reflect their own work unless credit is properly given to others. Any student caught plagiarizing or cheating will receive a 0 for the assignment or exam. Academic Support: The West Learning Lab (W3-26) offers individual and group biology tutoring sessions free of charge. For more information or an appointment please call (215) Students who believe they may need an accommodation based on the impact of a disability should contact me privately to discuss their accommodation form and specific needs as soon as possible, but preferably within the first week of class. If you need to request reasonable accommodations, but do not have an accommodation form, please contact the Center on Disability (BG-39) at (215) Additional information may be found on our course Canvas site: If any changes need to be made to this syllabus, they will be announced in class. 5