Instructor
Dr. Karin E. Jaffe
Course Objectives
This course provides a broad overview of
forensic anthropology, an applied field of biological anthropology that seeks
to recover, identify, and evaluate human skeletal remains within a legal
context. Forensic anthropologists use knowledge of skeletal biology and
biological anthropology to identify skeletal material, determine skeletal
trauma, and cause of death. This course is designed to introduce students to
the techniques used and the problems faced by forensic anthropologists. In this
class, we will learn 1) to identify the bones of the human skeleton, 2) the
techniques used by forensic anthropologists to determine individual identity of
a skeleton (i.e., the sex, age, ancestry, etc.), 3) how forensic
anthropologists estimate time since death, 4) recovery techniques and initial
treatment of forensic material, and 5) about the basics of bone trauma.
Finally, we will discuss the application of forensic anthropology to human
rights missions, military identifications, and mass fatalities.
University
Policies
There are important University policies that you should be aware of,
such as the add/drop policy, cheating and plagiarism policy, grade appeal
procedures, accommodations for students with disabilities, and the diversity
vision statement. These and other policies can be found at: http://www.sonoma.edu/UAffairs/policies/.
Students with
Disabilities:
To request academic accommodations due to a disability, please contact
the disabled student services office ((707) 664-2677 (voice), and (707)
664-2958 (TDD for hearing and voice impaired)). If you have a letter from their
office indicating that you have a disability that requires academic
accommodations, please present the letter to me so we can discuss the accommodations
that you might need in this class, including testing accomodation and assistance for visual and auditory impairment. If you are a student with a disability and
you think you may require assistance evacuating in the event of a disaster,
please inform me about the type of assistance you may require.
Student Athletes:
Please check your competition schedule at the beginning of the semester. If
there is a conflict (or a potential conflict) between a sanctioned sports
competition and class, you must notify the instructor, in person, during the
first two weeks of class to make alternative arrangements. Later notifications
may not be accommodated.
Picking up
Assignments:
Assignments will be handed back in class as soon as they have been graded
(usually, but not always, within one week of the assignment having been handed
in). It is the student's responsibility
to attend class and pick up his or her assignments when they are handed
back. If you are not in class on the day
when an assignment is returned, it is your responsibility to pick up your
assignment from the instructor during her office hours. I will hold all unclaimed assignments in my
office until the end of Spring semester, 2009, at which
time they will be shredded.
Instructor
Contact Information
karin.jaffe@sonoma.edu; (707) 664-2944
Office and Office Hours
Mondays and Wednesdays 2:00-3:00pm, Tuesdays 1:00-2:00pm, and by
appointment in Stevenson 2054D.
Lectures
Section 1: Mondays and Wednesdays, 10:00-11:50am, in Stevenson 2065.
Section 2: Mondays and Wednesdays, 12:00-1:50pm, in Stevenson 2065.
You must attend the section you are registered for.
Texts
(available at SSU Bookstore)
Required:
Byers, S.N. (2008) Introduction to Forensic Anthropology, 3rd Edition. Allyn and Bacon.
Boston, MA.
Recommended:
Steadman, D.W. (2003) Hard Evidence: Case Studies in Forensic
Anthropology. Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ.
Whitehead, P.F., Sacco, W.K., and Hochgraf,
S.B. (2005) A Photographic Atlas for Physical Anthropology. Morton Publishing Company, Englewood, CO.
What
I Expect of You
1. That you will be on time to
class.
2.
That you will wait to pack up your books and
notes until after I have finished lecturing.
3.
That you are respectful of other students in
the class as well as the instructor.
4.
That you turn off your cell phone before
lecture begins.
5.
That you will ask questions if you don't
understand the material.
What You Can Expect of Me
1. That I will be respectful of you and your time by
starting and ending class on time.
2.
That I will create a classroom environment
that is conducive to learning.
3. That I will return all assignments within a
timely manner (usually within 1 week).
4.
That I will do my best to make this course
interesting and informative!
Components of this Course (385 points, total)
1. Human osteology quiz, 25 points
2. Nine lab assignments (labs #1-8: 20 points each; lab #9: 40 points), 200 points
3. Attendance and in-class participation during labs,
guest lectures, and student presentations, 30 points
4. Two exams, (40 points each), 80 points
5. Student presentation and bibliography, 50 points
FINAL GRADES HAVE BEEN CALCULATED! You can check your grade in the class by clicking on the correct link below. Please be sure you click on the link for your section! Grades are posted by your student ID #. The answer key for exam 2 is posted outside of the instuctor's office. If you have questions about your grade, please contact the instructor via email.
Anth 415.1 (10am)
Anth 415.2 (12pm)
Please note: You may pick up your 2nd exam and any labs from me during Spring 2008 semester. Any uclaimed assignments will be shredded at the end of Spring 2008.
Explanation of Grading: This is where you can find
out more detailed explanations of the components of the course, including the
grade break-down for the course.
Syllabus: Please note changes to the syllabus due to interviews for the Forensic Anthropology Hire! You can get information
about the schedule of events from the course syllabus.
Laboratory Assignments: Here you will find pdf files of all lab assignments.
Exams: Here is where you will find study guides for the exams in this course.
Osteological Terminology: Reference sheet of osteological-related terms. Plan to bring to every lab.
Rules for Siding Bones: Reference sheet explaining how to side long bones and innominates.
Instructions for Student Presentations: This is where you can find out more about what is involved in preparing your in-class presenation on a forensics case study.
Information for submitting PowerPoint Presentations: Detailed instructions for submitting your PowerPoint presentation. These must be followed precisely!
Forensic Anthropology Case Studies: List of forensic anthropology case studies which may be used in the final presentation.
Forensics References: List of reference material related to the field of forensics (books, edited volumes, and journals). These will be useful when preparing your presentation.
Return
to Dr. Jaffe's Homepage at the Department of Anthropology at Sonoma State University