Course: Forensic Anthropology

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Course title Forensic Anthropology
Course code KSA/FORA
Organizational form of instruction Lecture + Tutorial
Level of course Master
Year of study not specified
Semester Summer
Number of ECTS credits 6
Language of instruction Czech
Status of course unspecified
Form of instruction Face-to-face
Work placements This is not an internship
Recommended optional programme components None
Lecturer(s)
  • Friedl Lukáš, Mgr. Ph.D.
Course content
Lectures 1. What is forensic anthropology and who is involved in it? History and growth of the discipline 2. Are remains forensically significant? Human vs. animal; recent vs. historical or prehistoric 3. Fieldwork with remains: from individual graves to mass issues and human rights. Laboratory methods 4. Estimating time of death 5. Laboratory analyses: preparation, sorting, and basic description 6. Determining origin: the first step 7. Test 1 8. Sex, age, and height 9. Trauma in forensic anthropology: cause and manner of death; distinguishing between antemortem, perimortem, and postmortem injuries 10. Trauma: firearms, blunt objects, sharp objects, strangulation 11. Postmortem damage to human remains: division and fragmentation of the body, burning; scavengers and other taphonomic processes 12. Identification of a person in a medical-legal context: positive identification using ante-mortem/post-mortem comparison. Facial reconstruction and other methods of last resort. 13. Professional ethics and forensic anthropology in the academic community: past and future. 14. Test 2 2. Exercise 1 (Brickley, 2007, Jantz, 2008) 3. Exercise 2 (Schmitt et al., 2006) 4. Exercise 3 (Berryman et al., 1997, Steadman and Haglund, 2005) 5. Exercise 4 (Haskell et al., 1997) 6. Exercise 5 (Sauer, 1998) 7. Exercise 6 (Hoppa 2000, Walker and Cook, 1998) 8. Exercise 7 (Bass 1997, Rodriguez, 1997) 9. Exercise 8 (Komar and Grivas, 2008) 10. omitted 11. Exercise 9 - presentation by student 1 12. Exercise 10 - presentation by student 2 13. Exercise 11 (Klepinger, 2006, Komar and Buikstra, 2008)

Learning activities and teaching methods
  • Preparation for comprehensive test (10-40) - 40 hours per semester
  • Preparation for an examination (30-60) - 30 hours per semester
  • Preparation for laboratory testing; outcome analysis (1-8) - 10 hours per semester
  • Presentation preparation (report) (1-10) - 8 hours per semester
  • Contact hours - 52 hours per semester
  • Practical training (number of hours) - 16 hours per semester
prerequisite
Knowledge
describe and explain methods of skeletal anthropology describe and explain the basics of human genetics describe human skeletal anatomy and methods of field anthropology
Skills
understand and interpret specialized texts in Czech understand and interpret specialized texts in English apply methods of field anthropology
Competences
N/A
N/A
N/A
learning outcomes
Knowledge
characterize and provide a brief overview of the historical development of the discipline and techniques used by forensic anthropologists to estimate the age, sex, and physical characteristics of an individual from their skeletal remains characterize and describe the basics of methods of positive identification, estimation of time of death, and determination of causes and manner of death understand forensic and criminalistic professional literature and
Skills
use basic anthropological methods to identify the biological profile of an unknown individual from their skeletal remains
Competences
N/A
N/A
N/A
teaching methods
Knowledge
Lecture
Lecture with visual aids
Practicum
Skills
Lecture
Competences
Lecture with visual aids
Practicum
Lecture
assessment methods
Knowledge
Written exam
Combined exam
Skills
Written exam
Competences
Written exam
Combined exam
Recommended literature
  • Haglund, W. D. & Sorg, M. H. (Eds). Advances in Forensic Taphonomy. Washington. 2002.
  • Krogman, W. M. & Iscan, M. Y. The human skeleton in Forensic medicine. Springfield IL: Charles C. Thomas., 1986.
  • scan, M. Y. & Helmer, R. P. Forensic Analysis of the Skull. New York. Wiley. 1993.
  • Vorel, František. Soudní lékařství. Vyd. 1. Praha: Grada, 1999. ISBN 80-7169-728-1.


Study plans that include the course
Faculty Study plan (Version) Category of Branch/Specialization Recommended year of study Recommended semester