Introduction to Forensic Botany

Catalog description

An introduction to the role of plants in criminal investigations, law, and legal matters. The course deals with the study of plants and plant materials collected at scenes of criminal activities. Topics include a survey of basic botany science including plant structure and reproductive biology, plant anatomy, plant diversity, pollen studies, and genetics, with an emphasis on plants as evidence. Another aspect of the course includes simulations of cases and reading and understanding of case studies where forensic botany was applied.