Course contact: Dr Craig Cunningham
All Life Sciences degree programmes share common core modules at Level 1 that provide a general introduction to the life sciences through an integrated programme of lectures, tutorials, practical work and field excursions.
At Level 3 you will specialise in the following subject areas:
Through theoretical and practical training students will be exposed to human form and function with direct relevance to the identification process. Students will conduct whole body dissection down to the level of the skeleton, with particular emphasis on functional and musculo-skeletal anatomy. The programme is unique in the UK in conducting whole-body dissection on cadavers embalmed using the Thiel soft-fix method, which provides life-like preservation of the soft tissues allowing more detailed dissection.
Your honours studies will involve extensive use of scientific literature and the opportunity to attend a regular programme of seminars given by invited speakers from Britain and abroad.
You will take four specialised units in Level 4, plus a research project. These will provide advanced training in forensic anthropology and will build on the anatomical training received in Level 3. The units are:
Heavily practically-based, this module will act as a concise introduction to forensic identification from the skeleton. The module will: provide a detailed understanding of adult human bone morphology; introduce concepts/principals of human/non-human identification; enable students to develop competency in skeletal identification skills; introduce students to the concept of a biological profile through the establishment of sex, age, ancestry and stature; introduce various methods of recording forensic skeletal information (use of conventional and digital recording systems, morphometry etc).
This module aims to introduce students to the operational and theoretical framework of forensic investigation in the peri and post-mortem periods, and will introduce students to areas such as: death investigation under English and Scottish Law; forensic archaeology and body recovery from simple to complex fatality scenes and burial environments (including mass graves as part of human rights abuses); estimation of time-since-death and post-mortem interval; forensic taphonomy; analysis of peri and post-mortem trauma; cultural manifestations of trauma in the peri-mortem period such as torture and abuse, inter-personal violence, dismemberment and body disposal; construction and formulation of taphonomic experiments.
This module encompasses the analysis of markers of biological identity and personal identity, combining the two into a coherent framework for identification and individuation. Areas covered will include: Biological Identity: age assessment - sex assessment - stature and body size estimation - race and ancestry estimation; ante-mortem individuating trauma; markers of individuation and personal identification – DNA, fingerprints, surgical alterations and body modifications, dietary isotopes, facial approximation methods, ante-mortem pathologies and trauma, forensic odontology.
This unit aims to provide a comprehensive background to the framework of forensic science and the legal profession. The module aims to provide a broad knowledge of police structure, criminal investigation, scene of crime infrastructure, medico-legal procedures, and their relevance to the criminal justice system, as well as contextualising current forensic science practice (including CSI, forensic anthropology, and human identification) within the UK and European legal systems. The unit aims to provide a cogent explanation of what constitutes an expert witness, and what are the methodological, practical and conceptual boundaries of forensic science evidence considered admissible under English and Scottish law.
Several formats are available including laboratory-based research under the supervision of a leading scientist, computer modelling, multimedia teaching packages, literature and electronic database review.
This specialised fifth year is intended to provide advanced training in subject areas which are germane to current professional requirements, but which are not available collectively at any other institution in the world. The aim of this programme is to provide training juvenile osteology, comparative anatomy and osteology and DVI training. The MSci year comprises the following modules, plus and advanced research project supervised by a case-active member of CAHID staff:
This module focuses upon the development of the human juvenile skeleton as a means to understanding adult skeletal form. This is a particularly complex area for forensic investigations and requires considerable knowledge of skeletal development. Through theoretical learning and practical examination, each bone of the body will be studied from its embryological origin, through key developmental milestones, until the attainment of its adult form. The practical component of the course utilises the unique Scheuer collection of juvenile skeletal remains. The course will provide an overall understanding of skeletal growth and development which is essential to the understanding of how each individual skeletal component fits into the wider picture of age, development and normal function. Course content will be linked to the textbook Developmental Juvenile Osteology.
This module will deal with the comparative basis of skeletal anatomy. It will focus on the study of mammalian (wild and domesticated), avian and reptilian skeletons across a variety of species, and will place the analysis of comparative skeletal anatomy in the context of current forensic practice. Through detailed anatomical teaching and practical laboratory sessions the module will cover comparative anatomical systems, functional anatomy, fragment analysis and identification, histological and biochemical methods of identification, analysis of burnt bone, and recovery techniques. This module is supported by the ‘bones’ consultancy agreement which receives over 100 active cases every year.
This module provides a thorough understanding of the DVI process in the UK and abroad. Developed by experienced practitioners, it is based on the National DVI Training course for the UK DVI team. This course delivers a robust theoretical underpinning for anyone undertaking DVI work on a practical basis. The course covers all aspects of DVI from the initiation of the process through to its resolution both on a domestic and international level. Course content will be linked to the textbookDisaster Victim Identification: The Practitioners Guide.
| File Name | File Size |
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| CAHiD UG forensic anth.pdf | 1041K |
