Foundations in Forensic Studies

Catalog description

his course provides an overview of forensic studies by exploring the natural science components of criminal investigation and criminal justice processes. Students are given the opportunity to understand how diverse fields are interrelated through the methods and approaches of criminal investigation and are provided with the essential knowledge of forensic science from multiple perspectives. Students learn how evidence is collected, processed, and interpreted in the fields of chemistry, toxicology, biology (botany, zoology and microbiology), DNA analysis, blood spatter analysis, entomology, and forensic death investigation and how this is used to solve criminal cases. The support of other fields such as sociology, psychology, criminology, anthropology, linguistics, accounting, and cyber/data security to the presentation of scientific evidence is also explored. The understanding of these fields is essential for the critical analysis, evaluation, and presentation of scientific evidence and data.