Skeletal Forensic Anthropology

Catalog description

An introduction to anthropological forensic science with an emphasis on what can be learned from human skeletons and archaeological recovery methods. ANTH 411 Skeletal Forensic Anthropology (3) This course is a survey of forensic anthropology focusing on human skeletal remains and archaeological recovery methods. Emphasis is placed on field methods used to collect human remains from surface and buried contexts; taphonomic processes; estimating age, sex, stature, and ancestry from human skeletons; recognizing signs of trauma and scavenger damage; and identifying individuals from skeletons. Lectures are accompanied by class discussions and complemented by practical lab sections closely tied to lecture materials. There will be two exams, a midterm and a final, and students are responsible for preparing a poster and presenting a semester-long research project. This course is related to existing ANTH 410 , Human Osteology, and proposed course ANTH 413 , Molecular Forensic Anthropology. It fulfills a 400-level requirement for the anthropology major or minor, as well as the university's Forensic Science major.