Course Description

Course Topics and Perspective:

Forensic science is the application of scientific knowledge to questions of civil and criminal law. *The course was designed to be a lab-based, hands-on course that will explore what forensic scientists do. You will learn modern forensic methods and use scientific methods to solve legal problems and historical mysteries.

This course will focus on:

1.) The collection & analysis of crime scene evidence such as serology, toxicology, entomology, odontology and trace evidence.

2.) Lab analysis techniques such as chromatography, DNA analysis, fingerprinting, hair & footprint analysis and the underlying scientific principles.

Forensic scientists are also required to testify in court about their methods and analysis of evidence. To make a convincing case, you need to be able to clearly and concisely explain the results of the labs and techniques you use, and explain the significance of your results in a lab report or summary.

In addition, mock crime scenes will be investigated and real case studies analyzed.

Interdisciplinary Relationships:

Forensics is a diverse field, and rarely are forensic scientists “generalists” – people who specialize in all aspects of forensic science. Forget what you see on “CSI (insert city here)”. Forensic scientists don’t wear pumps to a crime scene, they rarely interview suspects or make arrests, and they are not experts in all areas of forensic investigations. Rather, forensic experts usually specialize in one or two branches of forensic investigation.

A botanist may be an expert in forensic botany. An entomologist may be an expert in forensic entomology. Chemists may specialize in forensic toxicology or arson and bomb analysis. People with expertise in physics may focus on firearms and ballistics or blood spatter analysis.

It would be impossible to survey all areas of forensic science in a semester long high school course. Rather, we will explore a range of fields, topics and methodologies to give you a sense of the diverse fields of study in forensics.

Nevertheless, forensic science is an applied scientific discipline, and your success in this course will require you to apply your basic understanding of physics, chemistry, biology, biotechnology, geology and even math to explore the range of topics surveyed.

Assignment Categories and Weighting

• Final Grade

  • Semester 1 - 40%

    • Intro to Forensics --> 15%

    • Crime Scene --> 25%

    • Trace Evidence --> 25%

    • Serology & DNA --> 25%

    • Mid-Term Exam --> 10%

  • Semester 2 - 40%

    • Ballistics --> 20%

    • Digital Evidence & Questionable Documents --> 20%

    • Forensic Pathology & Entomology --> 20%

    • Forensic Anthropology & Odontology

    • Forensic Psychology

  • Final Exam - 20%

Course Description

Physical Science is the study of matter and energy as it relates to chemistry and physics. Students are expected to achieve a functional knowledge of scientific methods, basic physics and chemistry in accordance with the NC Essential Standards. This is a junior/senior level class. Students not taking Chemistry or Physics must pass this class to earn their third science credit for graduation.

Assignment Categories and Weighting

• Final Grade

  • Semester 1 - 40%

    • Unit 1 Matter - 30%

    • Unit 2 Bonding - 30%

    • Unit 3 Nuclear Chemistry - 30%

    • Mid-Term Exam - 10%

  • Semester 2 - 40%

    • Unit 4 Motion & Forces - 30%

    • Unit 5 Energy - 30%

    • Unit 6 Waves/ Electricity & Magnetism - 30%

    • Capstone Project - 10%

  • Final Exam - 20%

Resources:

The Physics Classroom website http://www.physicsclassroom.com/

PhET Colorado Simulations - Virtual Labs http://phet.colorado.edu/

Tutorial videos - www.bozemanscience.com/, https://www.thecrashcourse.com/ , www.khanacademy.org/ , https://stepbystepscience.com