FOS 761 Forensic Anthropology: Osteological & Genetic Identification

30 HOURS LECTURE PLUS CONFERENCES 

This course will introduce students to methods in forensics, with applications ranging from the study of ancient civilizations to modern criminal cases. As part of the course, students will become familiar with crime scene investigation techniques and excavations of human remains in archaeological contexts. Students will be introduced to sample collection and identification methods for human and non-human remains, including DNA analyses, osteology, and facial reconstruction. The students will also develop skills in basic human skeletal anatomy, pathology and trauma investigation, sample/evidence collection, genotyping, and the study of changes occurring in bodies post-mortem, or taphonomy. Finally, the broader social and legal context of forensic analyses in different communities will be presented in the course by discussing well-known archaeological and criminal investigation cases.