Forensic Science: Guilty or Not Guilty?

Catalog description

"Every contact leaves a trace." This phrase, coined by the pioneer of forensic science Edmond Locard, is the starting point of all forensic investigations. Scientific measurements are used to discover traces left at the crime scene and connect them to a person, object, or place. But what is it about science that allows us to make these connections? And how are facts determined by scientific measurements different from those recorded during an interrogation? Does the word "fact" carry the same meaning in the legal system as it does to you or to an experienced scientist? In this course, students explore these questions while analyzing samples left at a crime scene using biological, chemical, and physical laboratory techniques used in forensics. Exploring the underlying scientific principles and analyzing adjudicated cases, they discuss the capabilities and limitations of forensics, how it relates to the criminal justice system, and its impact on society.