This course examines the various forensic investigatory topics treated during the course of the MFS program, together with expansion of a few topics not examined in detail during the program, all in the context of the forensic investigation of criminal wrongdoing, and in the environment created by the National Research Council report to Congress in 2009. The use of scientific method as such, and as part of the ethical requirements for good investigation, forms the framework for intellectually examining the totality of a crime scene investigation.
Prerequisite(s): FORSC 5150 Advanced Crime Scene Investigation or FORSC 5400 Analytical Science as Bases for Investigation with grades of "B-" or better.
FORSC 5150 Advanced Crime Scene Investigation (4 hours)
This course focuses on recognizing, protecting, and preserving all prospective physical evidence at a crime scene. Crime scene reconstruction involving the use of the scientific method and classical logic will be discussed. Students will learn about crime scene photography methods, making impressions from imprints, collecting fingerprints and trace evidence, and analyzing and interpreting blood spatter evidence through lectures and hands-on experiences.
Prerequisite(s): FORSC 5050 Fundamentals of Crime Scene Investigation, FORSC 5060 Fundamentals of Evidence Processing, FORSC 5070 Criminal Law and the Law of Evidence, FORSC 5080 Medicolegal Death Investigation, FORSC 5090 Cold Case Homicide Investigation, and FORSC 5970 Internship with grades "B-" or better.
FORSC 5400 Analytical Science as Bases for Investigation (4 hours)
This course will explore the place of analytical chemical concepts and instrumentation in the robust and dependable identification and quantification of those biological and chemical compounds that are of interest for forensic investigations. The use of statistical techniques, including Bayesian statistics, are examined in the forensic context. Forensic evidence collection and chain-of-custody requirements are examined. Laboratory exercises include familiarization with chromatographic and mass-spectrometric techniques and instruments.
Prerequisite(s): FORSC 5050 Fundamentals of Crime Scene Investigation, FORSC 5060 Fundamentals of Evidence Processing, FORSC 5070 Criminal Law and the Law of Evidence, FORSC 5080 Medicolegal Death Investigation, FORSC 5090 Cold Case Homicide Investigation, and FORSC 5970 Internship, with grades of "B-" or better in each course.
