65242 Principles of Forensic Science
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particular session, location and mode of offering is the authoritative source
of all information about the subject for that offering. Required texts, recommended texts and references in particular are likely to change. Students will be provided with a subject outline once they enrol in the subject.
Subject handbook information prior to 2025 is available in the Archives.
Credit points: 6 cp
Result type: Grade and marks
Anti-requisite(s): 65034 Introduction to Forensic Science
Description
This subject is designed to introduce the different disciplines, principles and concepts specific to forensic science. It covers the following areas in a forensic context: history; general definitions and concepts; sub-disciplines; methodology and methods; introduction to crime scene; trace typology; function of the expert; the legal system; judicial admissibility; ethical considerations; and interpretation of forensic evidence. Lectures are complemented by workshops that encourage students to engage with the material through pre-workshop activities that are discussed during the workshops. Students reflect on the ideas developed in workshops by completing a series of post-workshop exercises. This is a core subject for the forensic science courses and an elective for students in other related courses.
Subject learning objectives (SLOs)
Upon successful completion of this subject students should be able to:
| 1. | Understand and apply the principles and concepts of the scientific method to the discipline of forensic science |
|---|---|
| 2. | Apply critical thinking and problem solving skills in the interpretation of evidence and case data |
| 3. | Explain the role of forensic science in the legal system and the larger community |
| 4. | Analyse case-like scenarios to demonstrate understanding of forensic processes and interpretation |
| 5. | Develop written and oral communication skills to convey scientific information to diverse audience |
Course intended learning outcomes (CILOs)
This subject also contributes specifically to the development of following course intended learning outcomes:
- Demonstrate a command of forensic science practice, including the detection, collection, and analysis of traces in order to exploit and integrate the results of analyses into investigative, evaluative and intelligence frameworks. (1.1)
- Apply investigative, critical thinking and problem-solving skills to forensic science problems and design experimental methods to test hypotheses and critically analyse and interpret data. (2.1)
- Practise safe, ethical, and professional conduct with consideration for the role of forensic science in addressing current and future challenges faced by law enforcement, the legal system, security, and the wider community. (3.1)
- Demonstrate skills in communicating experimental conclusions, expert opinion, and the justification of professional decisions related to forensic science processes effectively to expert, scientific, and non-expert audiences. (5.1)
Contribution to the development of graduate attributes
This subject provides the student with the knowledge and skills for the course. Upon completion of this subject students should have acquired robust foundations in forensic science, in particular the concepts, philosophy and methods underlying the discipline of forensic science.
Graduate Attribute 1 – Disciplinary Knowledge
Students will develop their understanding of forensic science as a discipline and how it is implemented in the judicial system. Students will be introduced to a range of sub-disciplines of forensic science during lectures which will be further developed in the workshops. Students will be assessed on their knowledge of these disciplines in the quizzes.
Graduate attribute 2 - Research, inquiry and critical thinking
Students will develop their problem solving skills by looking critically at forensic science problems and scenarios throughout the workshops and lectures. They will also be developing their research and inquiry skills through the major assignment where they will be critically looking at a well known criminal case and analysing issues and problems within the forensic evidence and court proceedings. This will require the students to examine and present the literature on the case. They will be assessed on this throughout the workshops and in the major assignment.
Graduate Attribute 3 - Professional, ethical and social responsibility
Students will develop an understanding of the role forensic science has in society and its application in a professional context. Discussions and activities during workshops exploring the topical issues currently facing forensic science will be explored. Students will be required to research an area of forensic science, identifying the current issues and future directions of that sub-discipline. This will be assessed in the major assignment and throughout the workshops.
Graduate Attribute 5 – Communication
Students will develop their written and oral communication skills through a series of structured and scaffolded workshops. Students will be developing these skills and given feedback throughout the workshop program and the post workshop activities. Students will be assessed on their written and oral communication skills through the major assignment.
Teaching and learning strategies
11 x 2 hr lectures
11 x 2 hr workshops
The online lectures will introduce you to the key theoretical knowledge needed to actively participate in workshop discussions and group activities. Lectures will be recorded and uploaded to Canvas, during the recordings you are encouraged to take notes. The dicussions board will have a thread for each lecture where you can ask questions about the material and engage in discussions with your peers and the staff. For the workshops you will be required to complete a series of ‘engaged learning’ activities prior to attending workshops, these 'engaged learning' activities are short online activities which will be uploaded onto Canvas and will need to be completed before coming to the workshop. These activities will help to prepare you for the topics covered in the workshop classes, by providing you with some background information and some questions to help test your understanding. The workshop component aims to develop skills that will be essential to your success in the forensic course. These skills include problem solving, critical-thinking and reasoning skills. During the workshops you will be working in a collaborative learning environment which will require you to engage with the activities in small groups and work together and discuss the activities covered in the workshop. At the conclusion of the workshops, a post workshop activity is completed to consolidate your workshop learning experience. Students will receive weekly feedback on the workshop activities, there will also be a number of opportunities throughout the semester to receive and provide peer assessment of workshop tasks.
Content (topics)
Specific topics to be presented throughout the semester will include:
Crime scene investigation
Impression evidence
Microtrace evidence
Forensic taphonomy
DNA and forensic biology
Forensic intelligence
Forensic interpretation
Misconceptions in forensic science
Function of the legal system
Role of the expert witness
Assessment
Assessment task 1: Workshop Component
| Intent: | This assessment task contributes to the development of the following graduate attributes: 1.0 Disciplinary Knowledge 2.0 Research, inquiry and critical thinking 3.0 Professional, ethical and social responsibility 5.0 Communication |
|---|---|
| Objective(s): | This assessment task addresses subject learning objective(s): 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 This assessment task contributes to the development of course intended learning outcome(s): 1.1, 2.1, 3.1 and 5.1 |
| Type: | Exercises |
| Groupwork: | Individual |
| Weight: | 30% |
| Criteria: | Assessment will be based on active involvement and contributions through the semester, as well as completion of pre- and post-workshop engaged learning activities. |
Assessment task 2: Major Assignment
| Intent: | This assessment task contributes to the development of the following graduate attributes: 1.0 Disciplinary knowledge 2.0 Research, inquiry and critical thinking 5.0 Communication |
|---|---|
| Objective(s): | This assessment task addresses subject learning objective(s): 1, 4 and 5 This assessment task contributes to the development of course intended learning outcome(s): 1.1, 2.1 and 5.1 |
| Type: | Report |
| Groupwork: | Group, group and individually assessed |
| Weight: | 40% |
| Criteria: | For the individual component students (20%) will be assessed on their ability to synthesise information relevant to their topic to present a convincing argument, integration of relevant cases to support their position, demonstration of research, clarity of writing and use of appropriate language and use of proper referencing. |
Assessment task 3: Quizzes
| Intent: | This assessment task contributes to the development of the following graduate attributes: 1.0 Disciplinary knowledge |
|---|---|
| Objective(s): | This assessment task addresses subject learning objective(s): 1, 2 and 4 This assessment task contributes to the development of course intended learning outcome(s): 1.1 |
| Type: | Quiz/test |
| Groupwork: | Individual |
| Weight: | 30% |
| Criteria: | Students will be assessed on their knowledge of forensic science and law based on the lecture component of the subject. Students will be assessed based on evidence of understanding of key concepts and ability to analyse case-based scenario questions related to the lecture material. |
Minimum requirements
The workshops for this subject are an integral part of learning the material, thus students are strongly encouraged to attend all scheduled workshop sessions. Failure to attend a class that is associated with an assessment item will attract a mark of zero for that assessment item unless an acceptable reason for the absence, supported by relevant documentary evidence, is provided to the following email address - principlesfs@uts.edu.au within seven (7) days of the absence occurring.
Required texts
All the material provided during the lectures, including electrionic material, is considered essential.
Recommended texts
Criminalistics: An Introduction to Forensic Science (10th Edition), ISBN-10: 0135045207 | ISBN-13: 978-0135045206, 2010.
Houck M. and Siegel J., Fundamentals of Forensic Science, Elsevier/Academic Press, ISBN 0123567629, 2006.
Fisher, BAJ, Techniques of Crime Scene Investigation, CRC Press, ISBN 084931691X, 2004.
Robertson, R. And Vignaux, GA, Interpreting Evidence-Evaluating Forensic Science in the Courtroom, John Wiley,
ISBN 0471960268, 1997.
Inman, K., Rudin, N., Principles and practice of criminalistics : the profession of forensic science, Boca Raton, CRC
Press, ISBN 0849381274, 2001.
References
None
Other resources
Topical resources will be regularly provided by the lecturers.