Forensic science is the study and application of science to the process of law and involves the collection, examination, evaluation and interpretation of evidence. Students will gain a basic understanding of the scientific and analytical approach to determining the value of evidence as it relates to the court of law. Instruction will be through lecture, videos and hands-on activities.

This course covers a range of topics and content related to the field of forensic science. A basic outline is as follows:

• Introduction to Forensic Science
• Types of Evidence
• The Crime Scene
• Fingerprints
• Hair
• Fibers
• Drugs
• Toxicology: Poisons and Alcohol
• Trace Evidence
• Blood
• DNA Analysis
• Human Remains
• Soil Analysis
• Glass
• Document and Handwriting Analysis

Students will take part in direct instruction for 1 to 1.5 hours each week. The remaining meeting time will be devoted to hands-on activities and labs which will allow for further understanding of the material. Each topic will be reinforced via activities that allow students to interact directly with the content. Examples of lab activities that students will participate in include microscope work, chemical analysis, fingerprint retrieval and computer simulations.