Forensic Science combines the diverse fields of physical and biological sciences to recreate the events surrounding a crime. In this unit students will examine a timeline that details the major contributions to the development of the field of forensic science. Describe the basic as well as specialized services offered by forensic laboratories. This unit is designed to address the fundamental aspects of forensic science. Students will explore the major disciplines within forensic science and the development of the field of forensic science over time. Students will also be able to relate how major scientific advances have contributed to the evolution of the field of forensic science, discuss the role of crime laboratories and the services they provide and have the opportunity to use general forensics websites to explore advancements in the field of forensic science.

Forensic science utilizes all levels of scientific inquiry, specifically chemistry and physics, to analyze physical evidence with the ultimate goal of recreating the events of the crime for a jury in a court of law. Students will also identify and compare various types of physical evidence and compare their values to forensic investigation. Students will address the fundamental aspects of crime scene investigation and the identification and comparison of physical evidence. Students will be able to define physical evidence and describe how it is collected and packaged as well as identify and compare various types of physical evidence and compare their values to forensic investigation. Understand the importance of following the principles of scientific method and the need for collecting control samples at every crime scene. Forensic Science also combines the diverse fields of physical and biological sciences to recreate the events surrounding a crime. In this unit students will examine a timeline that details the major contributions to the development of the field of forensic science. Describe the basic as well as specialized services offered by forensic laboratories. Explain proper crime scene procedure and understand the necessity for establishing a chain of custody. Detail the role that evidence plays in recreating the events of a crime. Describe the two types of evidence that can be found at a crime scene and differentiate between class and individual evidence. Understand the importance of following the principles of scientific method and the need for collecting control samples at every crime scene. Define proper evidence collection procedure. It is assumed students have working knowledge of a compound light microscope but a review during this unit is advisable

This unit examines the various aspects of forensics psychology. A forensic psychologist is any psychologist who offers an expert psychological opinion in a way that impacts one of the adversarial arenas, typically the courts. Various facets of the forensic profiling process will be examined, such as the psychology of the offender, deception, crime scene analysis, and interpretation of evidence. Topics covered in this unit will include profiling undertaken by law enforcement, serial killers versus mass murderers, and the legal concept of insanity versus competency to stand trial.

Students will be able to transfer their understanding of dactylography so that on their own, they will be able to cite evidence of how to identify and analyze the three general fingerprint patterns, and assess the minutiae found in fingerprints in order to prove a positive match. This unit is also designed to address the fundamental aspects of document examination as it applies to forensic science. Students will explore handwriting analysis as well as some guidelines for collecting known writings for comparison to a questioned document. Students will also discuss some of the class and individual characteristics of printers, photocopiers, inks. Students will use document examination techniques to uncover alterations, erasures, obliterations, and variations in pen inks. Students will familiarize themselves with US currency security features and identify counterfeit currency.

Trace Evidence examination is often challenged in court for its uncertainty. Nonetheless, characterization of hair and fiber evidence has played an important role in providing investigative leads in many criminal cases. It is not to be replaced in its entirety by DNA analysis, but to be used complementarity with other disciplines and technology in forensic science. Just as natural variations in skin ridge patterns and characteristics provide a key to human identification,minute random markings on surfaces can impart individuality to inanimate objects. Structural variations and irregularities caused by scratches, nicks, breaks,and wear permit the criminalist to relate a bullet to a gun; a scratch or abrasion mark to a single tool; or a tire track to a particular automobile. Individualization, so vigorously pursued in all other areas of Criminalistics,is frequently attainable in firearms and tool examination.

To recognize cause and effect of death on the human body, the chronological chains of events, related biological and chemical changes, the connections between humans and other living things, and understand the potential data made available by concurrent events. Forensic science utilizes all levels of scientific inquiry, specifically chemistry, human physiology and biochemistry,to analyze physical evidence with the ultimate goal of recreating the events of the crime for a jury in a court of law.This unit focuses on drugs, toxicology and the chemistry of alcohol, physical evidence collection and analysis using technology that incorporates core principles from chemistry, physics, biochemistry and human physiology.

 To understand the composition, development and structure of bones, to recognize the wealth of postmortem information made available. 

Blood is among the most common forms of evidence found at scenes of violent and brutal crimes. All suspected blood—liquid or dried, animal or human—present suggests a relationship to the offense or persons involved in a crime. Blood may be found in trace amounts, puddles, spatters, smears, or droplets. Blood samples may be collected from suspects and victims for examination and comparison. Blood evidence can help narrow a group of suspects, support identification of a suspect, and even guide the reconstruction of a crime.