ANTH 282 - Forensic Anthropology: Anatomy, Crime, and Humanity

Semester Offered: Spring
1 unit(s)

This full-semester course is divided into two sections and includes a 2-hour lab throughout its entirety. The first six weeks are dedicated to learning the anatomy and physiology of the human skeleton, with students gaining exposure to (1) identifying individual bones (complete and fragmentary), (2) identifying bone landmarks, (3) describing normal and abnormal bone growth processes (including common mutations), and (4) assessing bones for signs of pathology at the macroscopic level. Replica human bones are used and supplemented with real non-human bone as appropriate. The popular press book Written in Bone: Hidden Stories in What We Leave Behind is supplemented with technical readings as students develop fluency with Latin names of bones and landmarks. The second half of the course covers the basic methods of forensic anthropology, focusing on how age, sex, race, and height of an individual can be determined from their bones. Students also gain an understanding of how forensic anthropologists function within the legal framework of crime investigation and prosecution. Finally, students explore current debates in forensic anthropology, such as the ethics of race and gender classification and the repatriation of remains. Grading includes practical exams that require memorization, skillful application of techniques, and interpretation of quantitative and qualitative results. Previous coursework in archaeology or biological anthropology is necessary to be successful in this course. April Beisaw.

Prerequisite(s): ANTH 120 or ANTH 130 or ANTH 229.

Two 75-minute periods and one 2-hour lab.

Course Format: CLS