Forensic Anthropology

• GMS FA 700: Professional Skills and Thesis Research Development for Forensic Anthropology
  This course is designed to provide students with knowledge and experience in professional skills, including writing skills, professional communication, requesting letter of recommendation, applying to PhD programs, interview skills, and reading and interpreting journal articles. In addition, considerable class time will be spent on developing a research topic and hypothesis, preparing a thesis proposal and in introduction to data collection, statistical analysis and the use of several instruments and tools commonly used by forensic anthropologists. 3 cr, Fall sem.
• GMS FA 701: Forensic Anthropology
  INT FOREN ANTHR
• GMS FA 703: Zooarchaeology and Comparative Vertebrate Osteology
  Graduate Prerequisites: consent of instructor - This course will provide students with an advanced basis for vertebrate zooarchaeological analysis including terminology, data gathering, data analysis, and practical identification skills for both whole and fragmentary vertebrate remains. These skills will be of direct use in archaeology, paleontology, and forensic anthropology. 4 cr, Fall & Spring sem.
• GMS FA 704: Bioarcheology
  Graduate Prerequisites: consent of instructor - This course examines how bioarchaeologists utilize skeletal data to reconstruct patterns of human behavior from diverse geographical and temporal contexts. This course will survey topics such as age and sex estimation, paleodemography, pathology, and trauma, levels of physical activity and evidence for habitual behavior, paleodietary analyses, identity, and ethics. The goal of this seminar is to ask what bioarchaeology is, understand how it has developed historically, and recognize how it contributes to our understanding of the past.
• GMS FA 705: Forensic Anthropology Techniques
  Graduate Prerequisites: consent of instructor - This course will provide students with a detailed history of forensic anthropology, including pioneers in the field, bone growth and development, and an extensive knowledge of protocols, methods, and procedures used by forensic anthropologists, to include distinguishing osseous from non-osseous material, distinguishing human from non-human remains, and estimating the biological profile. Students will be provided hands on experience in casework and will prepare several forensic anthropology case. 3 cr, Fall sem.
• GMS FA 712: Osteology
  This course is designed to provide the student with an overview of basic human osteology with an emphasis on structure and function of various bones typically used by forensic anthropologists in human identification and in the investigation of traumatic and sudden deaths. At the completion of this course the student will be well versed in the anatomy, growth, landmarks and surface anatomy of all bone in the human skeleton. They will have completed hands-on experience with handling, measuring and identifying real human skeleton components. In addition, the methods of recovery and preservation of human skeletal remains will be practiced.
• GMS FA 715: Forensic Pathology
  This lecture- based course will provide the student with an overview of the role of the medical examiner as it relates to death investigations. Specific lectures will cover autopsy procedures in the investigation of gunshot wounds, sharp and blunt trauma, drowning, asphyxia, child deaths, motor vehicle accidents and time since death determination. A general knowledge of anatomy is strongly suggested. 2 cr
• GMS FA 716: Expert Witness Testimony
  Graduate Prerequisites: consent of instructor - This course is in expert witness testimony of scientific evidence by forensic anthropologists. The purpose of this course is to give graduate students in the M.S. in Forensic Program an introduction to the United States criminal justice system, an overview of some of the unique challenges that scientific evidence present in the system and experience with providing expert witness testimony.
• GMS FA 718: Special Topics in Forensic Anthropology: Outdoor Crime Scene
  Graduate Prerequisites: consent of instructor - This course will provide students with an overview of physical evidence found at outdoor crime scenes of buried or scattered human remains. Focus will involve the recognition, documentation, and collection of physical evidence and the review of real cases in which human remains have been recovered and how physical evidence was used to help solve the crime. 3 cr, Fall & Spring sem.
• GMS FA 720: Forensic Anthropology Internship
  Graduate Prerequisites: consent of instructor - Students registered in this course will be expected to complete an approved internship in an anthropology or archaeology field school, forensic, or medicolegal setting. 2 cr, on demand.
• GMS FA 722: Anatomical Sciences for the Forensic Anthropologist
  Prereq: consent of the instructor. The central emphasis of this course will be on the gross morphological features of the human body with a modest treatment of function. Although forensic anthropologists typically deal with soft tissues post-mortem and/or skeltonized remains, this course will expose students to preserved tissues and the "normal" appearance of these tissues. Siwek, Moore. 4 cr, Fall sem.
• GMS FA 755: Directed Studies in Forensic Anthropology
  Graduate Prerequisites: consent of instructor - Students will have the opportunity to develop a directed study in a specialized area of forensic anthropology or archaeology that is of particular interest. 4 cr, all sem.
• GMS FA 760: Research in Forensic Anthropology
  Graduate Prerequisites: consent of instructor - This course is designed to facilitate the students' thesis research. Var cr, Fall sem.
• GMS FA 761: Research in Forensic Anthropology
  Graduate Prerequisites: consent of instructor - This course is designed to facilitate the students' thesis research. Var cr, Spring sem.
• GMS FA 790: History, Method, and Theory in Biological Anthropology
  Graduate Prerequisites: consent of instructor - This course will cover the theoretical and methodological principles of the major areas of biological anthropology. Initially focusing on the history of biological anthropology and evolutionary theory, the course will expand to cover skeletal biology, forensic anthropology, and contemporary human variation. The last section will address the philosophy of science and anthropology and practical issues such as presenting and publishing papers and preparing grant proposals. It is intended that this course provide students with a thorough understanding of the correlation between the developments of the discipline of biological anthropology, evolutionary theory, and the practice of forensic anthropology in the United States. 3 cr, Fall sem.
• GMS FA 800: Field Methods in Forensic Anthropology
  This course will provide students with a sound basis for archaeological methods applied to a variety of forensic settings. Students will learn core concepts from academic archaeology and how forensic archaeology differs from traditional methods. 3 cr
• GMS FA 802: Applied Forensic Anthropology
  Students will gain extensive experience in forensic anthropological casework, to include experience in generating analytical notes and report preparation. Students will be exposed to a variety of casework situations that forensic anthropologists encounter in medical examiner offices, international realms, government laboratories and field situations. 3 cr
• GMS FA 804: Experimental Design and Statistics for Forensic Anthropologists
  The goal of this course is to provide a working understanding of experimental design and statistical analyses that are appropriate for various types of anthropological based experiments and for the analysis of skeletal remains for unknown individuals. Significant emphasis will be placed on discussions of Bayes Theorem and the use of factor analysis in the development and use of the FORE Disc database used extensively by forensic anthropologists to determine sex, age, stature and ancestry of unidentified skeletal remains. 3 cr
• GMS FA 805: Advanced Crime Scene Investigation
  Graduate Prerequisites: GMS FS 701 Crime Scene Investigation - This hands-on and lecture-based course will provide students with methods and underlying theories related to specialized aspects of crime scene processing. Topics will include techniques and principles utilized in search and recovery of human remains. Forensic entomology, mechanisms of human decomposition, use of ground penetrating radar, soil composition, excavation, telltale disturbances in flora and the presence of animal activity will be examined. A semester-long practical exercise will include the search and recovery of mock remains and the reconstruction of events. 2 cr
• GMS FA 806: Advanced Human Osteology
  This course builds on the topics covered in GMS FA 712 Human Osteology by exploring human osteology in greater depth and will include lectures and extensive experience with radiographical material. 4 cr