FORENSIC SCIENCE AND CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION
ENTO 896
8 Week Summer Session 2007
Instructor
Dr. David O. Carter
310A
Department of Entomology
Phone: 402-472-8285
Email: dcarter2@unl.edu
Distance Education Coordinator
Tom Weissling, PhD
310A
Department of Entomology
Phone: 402-472-8680
email: ent-distance@unl.edu
Overview
Forensic science is the
application of science to the law. While forensic science is used in civil and
criminal cases, this course will focus on criminal investigation.
Unsurprisingly, forensic science comprises several disparate fields of study. This
course will cover a wide range of topics including jurisprudence, medicine,
taphonomy, criminalistics, engineering, digital forensics and behavioral
science. This course aims to provide an understanding of the fundamentals of
forensic science through the study of each of these fields. Each student should
finish this class with an understanding of the history and definition of
forensic science, legal framework in which forensic science in the
Required text
James SH, Nordby JJ. 2005. Forensic science: an
introduction to scientific and investigative techniques. 2nd
edition. CRC Press,
Additional information can
be found in:
Saferstein R. 2006. Criminalistics: an introduction
to forensic science. 9th edition. Pearson Prentice Hall,
In addition, readings will
be posted as required. These will primarily comprise peer-reviewed publications
and excerpts from books.
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Course content |
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Forensic science and the legal framework |
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What is forensic science? |
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The legal framework |
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From crime scene to court |
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Taphonomy |
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Introduction to
decomposition and taphonomy |
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Pathology |
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Dentistry/odontology |
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Physical anthropology and
osteology |
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Entomology |
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Soils |
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Palynology and botany |
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Criminalistics |
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Forensic biology: DNA |
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Biological fluids and
stains |
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Bloodstains and spatter |
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Toxicology &
controlled substances |
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Fingerprints |
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Questioned documents |
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Hair, fiber, paint, glass |
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Firearms |
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Toolmarks, footmarks,
tiremarks |
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Engineering |
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Structural failures |
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Fire and explosions |
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Vehicular accidents |
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Digital Forensics |
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Digital forensics and its
investigation |
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Behavioral science |
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Psychology |
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Psychiatry |
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Serial offenders |
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Profiling |
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Student assessment
Students will be responsible
for completing three exams and three case studies.
Exams (100 points each) will
be due seven days after posting on Blackboard. Books, peer-reviewed
publications and lecture notes may be used to complete exams. We strongly
discourage the use of personal web-sites as a source of information as the
accuracy of their content is not regulated. Upon completion, the exams should
be emailed to Dr. Carter (dcarter2@unl.edu).
Exams submitted after the deadline will be penalized 10% per day late. Exams
will cover the following areas:
Exam 1 Jurisprudence, taphonomy
Exam 2 Criminalistics,
engineering, computer crime
Exam 3 Behavioral science
Case studies (100 points
each) will follow the same protocol. However, due dates will be given upon
posting. The time allowed to complete a case study will never be less than
seven days.
Grading scale
Grades will be assigned
based on a percentage of the total points possible.
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A+ |
100-98 |
C+ |
79-77 |
F |
< 59 |
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A- |
97-94 |
C |
76-74 |
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A |
93-90 |
C- |
73-70 |
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B+ |
89-87 |
D+ |
69-67 |
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B |
86-84 |
D |
64-66 |
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Office hours
All students should feel
free to call or email me questions at any time. I will respond as soon as
possible. If a meeting (e.g. phone, on-campus) is desired then it would be best
to set up an appointment via email.
Important Websites
Entomology Department Web
Site: http://entomology.unl.edu
Blackboard: http://blackboard.unl.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp
Cheating
The University of Nebraska-Lincoln has a policy about academic
dishonesty, as indicated in the Student Code of Conduct (see Undergraduate
Bulletin). As a student at UNL, you enjoy rights and protections under the code
and are obligated to conduct yourself in compliance with the code. One area
where students occasionally have some confusion regards plagiarism. The key
concept here is misrepresenting the work of another as one's own.
As the Student Code of Conduct indicates, academic sanctions for
misconduct subject to appeal are at the discretion of the instructor, and may
include giving the student a failing grade for the course. In this course the
penalty for cheating will be a failing grade for the class. This is based on
the rationale that cheating is fundamentally opposed the aim of forensic
science, which is to bring about justice.
Technical Requirements
In order to take this
course, you must have:
- E-mail
- DVD player
- An Internet connection (Netscape 3.01 or higher
and Internet Explorer 4.0 or higher)
- Microsoft Word
- Adobe Acrobat Reader
The technology skills you
will need to succeed in this course are a basic familiarity with your Web
browser, e-mail, word processing, and the ability to locate specific
information on the Internet. You must
also know or learn how to use Blackboard courseware. All of the technologically related plug-ins
you need (i.e. for Adobe Acrobat Reader) for class will be available under the
“External Links” button on the Blackboard site.
Accommodating Student Disabilities
Any student in this course
who has a disability that may prevent him or her from fully demonstrating his
or her abilities should contact me as soon as possible, so we can discuss
accommodations necessary to ensure full participation and facilitate your
educational opportunity.
Course Etiquette
Be courteous to others when
submitting assignments and participating in discussions. Offensive materials
will be removed from the course web site.
Students will be contacted if material is deemed inappropriate by any of
the instructors.
University Policies
University of
Students should pay
particular attention to the “Academic Calendar” that can be accessed from this
web site.
Plagiarism & Academic Integrity
Plagiarism will not be
tolerated. Please read: http://www.unl.edu/UFP/acadinte.htm
This web site provides UNL students with information on Academic
Integrity. Pay particular attention to the section that provides students
with information about citing sources. We want your work, not the work of others. Summarize, synthesize and completely rewrite
the material. You should not use more
than 3 words in a row from the original source!
Copyright
All materials created for
this course are copyrighted. No portion
of these materials can be duplicated or distributed without the written
permission of the instructors.
Where to find help
Various student resources
are available for any issues you experience with Blackboard courseware and any
other technical problems that might arise during the course of the semester.
You can find a list of helpful resources under “Online Help Resources” on the
“My UNL” Blackboard page.
Library Services
UNL distance students have
access to a tremendous resource: Library Services. If you are using Blackboard,
there is a tab at the top of the page, “UNL Library”-just click and you are
there. This web site can also be
accessed directly at: http://iris.unl.edu/
After you use one of the above
options, you will be at the Iris Main Page:
Click on "Services",
then, on the following page click on "Distance Education
Services." At this point, you will
be able to read about the various services UNL’s Library Services provide to
distance learners.
For information about other
services: http://www.unl.edu/libr/dept/subjname.html
This page has information
about the web request form, information about liaison librarian services,
various delivery options (including web delivery), and much more.
Elaine Nowick, a liaison
librarian, provides reference assistance for students in Entomology. She can be reached at (402) 472-4408 or
through email (enowick1@unl.edu).