Download Course Outline FOR FORENSIC SCIENCE

Wetzel- Forensics
CURRICULUM FOR FORENSIC SCIENCE:
COURSE OUTLINE
This course is designed to challenge students with topics such as fingerprinting, DNA analysis,
blood typing and spattering, trajectories (for ballistics as well as blood spattering) comparative anatomy,
and chemical analysis of drugs, poisons, and trace evidence, and the dynamics of Physics.
Students will learn about the careers involved with Forensic Science and will play mock roles as
experts in the field to solve crimes. They will learn team work in solving the mock crimes and have a
chance to change their roles as the year progresses. The students will all be given the tools to interpret
data and techniques involved for both chemical and biological analysis of evidence.
CURRICULUM PACING GUIDE:
1. History and Development of Forensic Science
a. Organization of the Crime Laboratory
b. Services of the Crime Laboratory
2. The Crime Scene
a. Processing the Crime Scene
b. Legal Issues at the Crime Scene/ good lab techniques and safety
3. Fingerprints
a. History of Fingerprints
b. Classification of Fingerprints
c. Methods of Detecting Fingerprints
d. Preservation of Developed Prints
4. Trace: Hairs, Fibers, and Paint
a. Morphology of Hair
b. Identification and Comparison of Hair
c. Types of Fibers
d. Comparison and Preservation of Fiber Evidence
5. Trace: Pollen and Spores
a. Collection methods
b. Identification
c. Analysis of soils and mixtures
6. Death and Decay
a. Cause of death
b. Time of death
7. Forensic Serology
a. The Nature of Blood
b. Forensic Characteristics of Bloodstains
c. Stain Patterns of Blood
d. Principles of Heredity
e. What is DNA?
f. DNA typing
g. The Combined DNA Index System (CODIS)
h. The Collection and Preservation of Biological Evidence for DNA analysis
Wetzel- Forensics
8. Firearms and Fire
a. Arson
b. Ballistics
9. Drugs
a.
b.
c.
d.
Drug Identification
Collection and Preservation of Drug Evidence
Chemical Analysis of Drugs using Spectroscopy
Toxicology
10. Cybercrime & Profiling
11. Counterfeiting and Handwriting
12. Careers in Forensic Science
PURPOSE OF THE COURSE
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Students will:
Apply knowledge learned in previous courses such as Biology and Chemistry
Work independently and in groups to apply that knowledge
Use scientific terminology to describe the techniques they are using
Understand how science is used to solve societal problems such as crime
Incorporate History with science
Explain how Criminal justice fits in with Forensic Science
Understand that Forensic Science is applied Biology and Chemistry
Learn the new uses of technology in solving crimes and issues of biometrics.
Expand their use scientific writing to document what took place and how they arrived at their
conclusions
Understand that there are limitations to what physical evidence can tell us but that the evidence
does not lie
Expand their use of critical thinking