BI 120 Forensic Anthropology: 3 semester hours
In this course students will learn how forensic anthropologists use skeletal analyses and other techniques to identify human remains and to discern information about life histories and the manner of death. Students will also learn about the applications of these techniques to individual legal contexts (criminal and missing person cases) as well as international human rights work. Topics to be covered in this class include human skeletal and dental anatomy, skeletal growth and development, excavation and recovery techniques for human remains, as well as postmortem changes to the body. In addition to skeletal analyses, students will also learn about other means of biological identification and crime scene/ burial place investigation including DNA analyses, blood tying, stable and radiogenic isotope analyses, and microbiome and nercobiome studies.