Courses in this cluster will explore how scientific methods, data collection, and the stories we tell using that data can solve crimes, make truths, and broaden what counts as evidence.

Associated Course Pairings:

Course Descriptions

CC105: Criminalistics: An Introduction to Forensic Science

Instructor: Murphy Brasuel
Learning Across the Liberal Arts Designation: Scientific Analysis
CRN# 18289
Block: 1

This course will teach some basic chemistry concepts that will be applied directly to the forensic science found useful in the investigation of crime. A mix of historical and fictional case studies, collecting evidence from crime scenes, and methodologies employed in the forensic sciences will be used as a framework to learn about the application of these basic chemical principles. Library research coupled with written and oral presentations will be used to develop forensic reporting skills. Scientific articles and texts in conjunction with popular literature will be used to elucidate the scientific principles that support analysis and interpretation of forensic evidence. We will briefly explore the intersection of science and criminal justice and how scientific principles can be twisted/misused/misrepresented resulting in inequities in the justice system. If you are a fan of CSI and/or crime mysteries, and are wondering if they have gotten the science right, then this is the course for you!

In addition to regular morning sessions, there will be 8 afternoon sessions (4 labs,3 instructional sessions,1 quiz session).

CC120: Private Troubles, Public Issue and Social Change

Instructor: Sandi Wong
CRN# 18327
Block: 3

“The sociological imagination enables us to grasp history and biography and the relations between the two within society. That is its task and its purpose.” C. Wright Mills described the “sociological imagination” as a quality of mind that enables and compels us to situate our biographies in history and society. To relate private troubles to public issues, in this writing seminar our course readings, assignments and discussions will focus on the following questions: how do institutions shape our opportunities, our socioeconomic status and our positions of power? How do cultural values, ethics, and norms inform our identities, political perspectives, and our notions of dignity and worth? How do social actors build communities and provide for the common good?

CC105: Forensic Geology

Instructor: Michelle Gevedon
Learning Across the Liberal Arts Designation: Scientific Analysis
CRN# 18249
Block: 1

This course centers the application of geoscience concepts to environmental, historical, criminal, and archeological forensic investigations, while introducing geology subfields of sedimentology, stratigraphy, mineralogy, petrology, and geochemistry. These concepts are the basis for modern forensic investigations including nuclear treaty verification, food authenticity, archeological controversies, and fraud investigations in the fields of art, antiquities, fossils and gemstones. Basic foundations of geological science will be presented in the context of unsolved mysteries, criminal investigations, and historical and geological events. For example, students will create timelines of events from geological data (i.e., stratigraphy) and physical evidence (i.e., layers of mud on the bottom of a suspect's vehicle). Fields of mineralogy, sedimentology, and petrology will be introduced as trace evidence and provenance (e.g., connect soil from a suspects clothing with a crime scene). In-class observation and data collection activities allow for critical assessment of evidence and interpretation to serve as the basis of testable hypotheses regarding past events and the origins of materials. Key skills developed will include inductive and deductive reasoning, critical thinking, observational skills, data quality and uncertainty assessment, the logical construction of arguments, and synthesis of disparate information into an internally consistent story – skills useful across all STEM and humanities disciplines.

This course includes at least one but no more than three overnight and full-day field trips, in Weeks 1, 2, and 3. Field trips will take place outdoors and will require walking and light hiking on unpaved and uneven surfaces; ownership of outdoor gear is not required to participate in this class and can be supplied through the Geology department.

Several afternoon lab activities and working sessions will be required for class, taking place in Weeks 1, 2 and 3. Dates of required field trips and afternoon sessions will be announced to members of the class via CC email several weeks prior to the beginning of the block to allow for planning.

CC120: Buried Stories: Biological Anthropology and the Excavation of Hidden Narratives

Instructors: Krista Fish
CRN# 18201
Block: 2

Biological anthropology includes the specialties of osteology, bioarchaeology, and forensic anthropology. With a focus on human skeletal remains, these interrelated specialties have the potential to transform knowledge about past societies and aid those seeking justice for modern humans. For example, the work of bioarchaeologists can provide a voice for people who might be ignored in the written records of societies. Forensic anthropologists can restore the identity of a murder victim or collect evidence of genocides which can be used in international courts. In this course, students will learn basic osteological research skills while also examining the methods used in the field. Students will also consider how scholars in the fields communicate their findings and tell stories about the past. How are these stories structured? How does the identity of the author impact the way the story is told? How might modern power structures change the stories that we tell about the dead? As students investigate these stories told by scientists, they will also create their own osteological stories about past events.