COURSE OF STUDY

FORENSIC SCIENCE

Fall 2003

Mary Villani

Week Of

Topic

Sept. 8

1.Organization and Introduction to Forensic Science

Sept. 10

2. History of Forensic Science

3. Lab: Dancing Men

Sept. 15

1. Physical Evidence

2. The Significance of Physical Evidence

3. The Collection and Preservation of Physical Evidence

4. Case studies

5. Lab: Crime Scene Investigation

Sept.22

1. Processing the Crime Scene

2. Aspects of Evidence Collection

3. Rough and Smooth Sketches

4. The Admissibility of Evidence

5. Establishing a Chain of Custody

6. The Role of the Expert Witness

7. Hard Evidence

8. Case Studies: " Cracked cases "Unsolved Mysteries

9. Lab: Rolling Fingerprints

Sept.29

1. Lab: Rolling Fingerprints and Classification of Prints

*** To be continued into single periods of the following week.

Oct.6

1. Labs:

1. Rolling and Classification of Prints

*** To be continued from week before

b) Dusting and Lifting of Latent Prints

classes of the following week.

Oct.13 1. Lab: Dusting and Lifting of Latent Prints

To be continued from week before

2. Ear prints

3. Lab: The Chemical Development of Latent Print Prints

*** To be continued into single period

classes during the following week

Oct. 21 1. Lab: The Chemical Development of Latent

Prints (continued)

2. Hair as Physical Evidence

3. Lab: Examination and Comparison of Human

Hair

*** To be continued into single period

classes during the following

Oct. 27 1. Lab: Examination and Comparison of Human

Hair (continued)

2. Lab: Hair Scale Preparation and Examination

3. Lab: Animal Hair Examination and Unknowns

*** To be continued into single

period classes of the following week

Nov. 3 1. Lab: Animal Hair Examination and Unknowns (continued)

2. Fibers as Physical Evidence

3. Wayne Williams Case

4. Lab: Microscopic Examination of Fibers

Nov.10 1. Lab: Synthesizing and Dying Nylon Fibers (single period)

2. Collecting, Preserving and Analyzing Paint Evidence

3. Auto Accidents

4. Hit and Run Accidents

5. The Collection and Preservation of Glass

Evidence

6. Lab: Tire Impressions and Casts

Nov. 17 1.The Chemistry of Fire

2. Arson Investigations

3. Arson Explosions

4. Lab: Hunt for Serial Arsonists

Nov. 24 1. The Psychological Profiles of Killers

a. Profiles of Serial Arsonists

b. Profiles of Mass Murderers

c. Profiles of Child Abusers

2. Psychic Sleuthing

5. Lab: Who Shot JFK?

Dec. 1 1. Opposing Viewpoints - Who Shot JFK?

a. JFK and the Mob

b. JKF and Cuba

c. The U.S. in the 1960s

2. The Collection and Preservation of Evidence

3. Serial Number Restoration (Demo)

Dec. 8 1. The Murder of RFK

2. The Murder of Martin Luther King

3. Bullet Comparisons

4. Cartridge Cases

5. Gunpowder Residues 6. Trip to the New York State Crime Lab and NYS

Police Academy

**** Tentative date

Dec.15 1. The Coroner vs. The Medical Examiner

2. The Medical Autopsy

3. Establishing the Cause and Time of Death

4. The Morgue and the Crime Lab / Case Studies

5. The Medical Autopsy and the Criminal

1. Lab: The Science of Murder

Dec. 22 WINTER VACATION

Jan. 2 1. Unnatural Deaths: Case Studies

2. Unsolved Mysteries

1. Lab: The Best of the Forensic Autopsy

Jan. 5 1. Forensic Entomology

2. Insect Life Cycles

3. Using Insects to Solve Crime

4. Lab: Insects at the Crime Scene

Jan. 12 Mid-year Exams

COURSE OF STUDY

FORENSIC SCIENCE

Spring 2004 Mary Villani

Week of Topic

Feb.2 1. Review of Mid-year Exam

2. Forensic Anthropology

3. Skeletal studies - Animal versus Human

Feb.9 1. Grouping Sub grouping and Individualizing

Skeletal remains

2. Production of Foot Casts and Foot

Impressions

1. Lab: Snow Prints (weather permitting)

4. Lab: Skeletal Measurements

Feb. 16 MID-WINTER VACTION

Feb. 23 1. Skeletal Measurements continued

2. Aging Skeletal Remains

3. Race Determination

4. Sex Determination

1. Skeletal Remains and the Cause of Unnatural

Deaths

March 1 1. Forensic Imaging

2. Facial Reconstruction and the Forensic Artist

3. Forensic Odontology

4. Mammalian and Human Teeth

5. Grouping Sub grouping and Individualizing

Dental Remains

March 8 1. The Structure of DNA

2. Nuclear DNA versus Mitochondrial DNA

3. Mitochondrial DNA and Missing Persons/MIA’s

4. DNA and the Crime Scene

6. DNA Landmark Cases

7. DNA Testing and the Judicial System

1. Distance Learning with John Jay College

9. The Ethics of DNA Testing

10. DNA Testing and the Law

11. DNA Testing and Rights of Privacy

11. Lab: Murder Rape and DNA

March 15 1. DNA Profiling Paper Simulation (RFLP)

2. DNA Isolation and Extraction

3. Lab: DNA Spooling

March 22 1. Testing for DNA

2. Casting and Loading Gels Practice

3. Lab: Adding Restriction Enzymes and Dyes to

Samples

March 29 1. Electrophoresis

2. Southern Blotting

3. Hybridization

4. Lab: Loading Wells and Electrophoresis

April 5 SPRING RECESS

April 12 1. Observation and Analysis of RFLP test results

2. PCR Testing

3. Plant DNA versus Human DNA

4. Lab: Isolation of Squamous Cell DNA ( double period)

5. Preparation of PCR tubes (single period)

6. Amplification of DNA in Thermal Cycler (teacher)

April 19 1. The Human Genome Project

2. Case Studies – using DNA typing by PCR

3. PCR Testing for Forensic Investigations

versus PCR Testing for Genetic

research

April 26 1. PCR Testing in the Forensic Science Lab

Versus PCR Testing in the classroom

2. Lab: Preparation of Cast Gels (single period) 3. Lab: Loading DNA Samples, Electrophoresis and Staining

of Gels (double period)+

May 3 1. Observation of Lab Results

2. Human Mitochondrial DNA

3. Forensic Investigations With Mitochondrial

DNA Technology – Case Studies

1. Lab: DNA Isolation from Hair Sheaths (double period)

5. Lab: Preparation of PCR tubes (single period)

6. Amplification of DNA in Thermal Cycler (teacher)

May 10 1. Lab: Preparation of Cast Gels (one period)

2. Lab: Loading, Electrophoresis and staining gels (double period)+

May 17 1. Observations of Lab Results

2. Forensic Toxicology

3. Examination of Organs and Tissues

4. Body Fluids

5. Lab: Aspirin Determination with

Spectrophotometry (one single and one double period)+

May 22 and 23 Trip to Washington, D.C.

May 24 1. Blood Morphology and Blood Chemistry

2. Blood Stain Patterns

3. Species Test

4. The Grouping, Sub grouping and

Individualization of Blood Stains

5. Lab: Blood Typing – Who Done It?

May 27 and 28 Trip to Washington, D.C.

May 31 1. Document Examination

2. Print and Script

3. Typewritten

4. Copy Machine

5. Computer generated

6. Ink Examination and Extraction

7.Lab: Document Examination

8. Term Papers due

June 7 1. The Forensic Psychiatrist versus The

Document Examination Lab

2. Forged Documents and the Law

3. Counter fit money and the Law

4. TIPS Web Quest Project presentations

June 14 1. Legal Procedures – Discovery, Jury Selection,

Shadow Juries, Insanity Pleas

2. Trials of the Century

3. Mock Trials

4. Lab: Mock Trial Presentations

June 23 Shadow Program