Forensic Science BSc (Hons)

This module comprises the research project for level 6 of the Forensic Science programmes. It is 40 credit module and aims to utilise your subject specific skills, both in terms of knowledge and laboratory skills, in an area of forensic science that is of interest to you.

You will identify and define a research topic in a chosen field of forensic science, plan a strategy for its implementation (in conjunction with an appointed supervisor) and be responsible for its implementation. It will engender in you a spirit of enquiry and curiosity in both practical and theoretical aspects of the topic. You will develop your information retrieval and critical appraisal skills, and encourage and require you to apply knowledge gained in other parts of the academic programme. It will enable you to develop the ability to evaluate experimental methods and data, and to provide the means to present findings and data in oral, poster, and written formats, and enable you to develop and practise skills relating to word-processing, spreadsheets, and other scientific and IT software packages and methods.

This module will provide you with the practical attributes of forensic science from the onset of a case through to the presentation of evidence in a court of law. It expands upon core forensic science disciplines and processes taught in previous years and focuses upon the strategy setting, examination and the delivery of interpretation and evaluation of forensic evidence within the context of complex case situations. You will study the importance of working together with key stakeholders (police, forensic pathologists, crime scene managers) in determining forensic strategy and prioritisation of key exhibits prior to commencing their practical examination. Whilst the emphasis on this module will be practical based with you undertaking the examination of forensic exhibits, it will be underpinned through taught lectures and seminars.

By the end of this module you will have gained an understanding of the difficulties of complex casework and conveying complex scientific information to the lay person.

You will learn how scientific strategies associated with crimes and challenges facing the police and criminal justice system are complemented by criminological theory. You will discover the impact these advancements have upon both society and upon forensic science. By understanding crime, contemporary policing, prisons and imprisonment within the criminal justice system, crime prevention strategies will be evaluated for their effectiveness for particular crime types. For example, you will explore current research and innovation strategies that combine innovative science and technological advances with criminological research in response to existing, new and emerging crimes and challenges. You will address key themes such as:
• Crime/policing – e.g. the prevention and detection of drugs in society, volume crime, human trafficking
• Security and counter terrorism – e.g. prevention and detection of terrorism activities (domestic versus international), radicalisation and
• Policing/identity management – e.g. surveillance in society, crime mapping and the role of biometric identification

You will learn how advances in forensic interpretation can be applied to support the Criminal Justice System in decision making. You will learn how to use the Casework Assessment and Interpretation (CAI) model in the evaluative stage of crime investigation, as well as the use of the Bayesian approach to evaluate the strength of evidence and the conclusions/limitations that can be drawn from the analytical results. Embedded throughout the module will be case studies from violent, sexual and major crime used to supplement and underpin your learning.

In this module you will examine advanced modern techniques for the analysis of a variety of compounds commonly encountered in chemistry and forensic science. Modern hyphenated separation techniques e.g. chromatography-mass spectrometry, for separation, identification and quantitation of compounds will be discussed. New approaches for separation based on ion mobility e.g. capillary electrophoresis and capillary electro-chromatography will be explained, and the latest advances in in the chemical analysis field will be described using relevant examples. The syllabus will also focus on modern and advanced spectroscopic techniques for drug identification and analysis, including NMR and MS methods. Sampling protocols for the detection of drugs and alcohol in body fluids and alternative matrices will be studied as well as strategies and practice in analytical method development for a varietry of different compounds.

In this module, you will follow on from the body fluids and BPA and DNA profiling modules introduced at level 5 on this programme, applying the knowledge gained to more complex case-based scenarios and interpreting challenging data, e.g. complex mixtures. The limitations of current methodology will be reviewed in detail, including a thorough examination of DNA profile artefacts, analytical thresholds and alternative statistical approaches to data analysis. In addition to existing methods, you will also be introduced to a range of alternative methods that use different genetic markers including RNA to build a more complete picture of the sample type under examination and the identity of the sample donor. New materials will introduced in the fields of anthropology and forensic taphonomy to provide a good coverage of methods used in forensic biology. Key topics covered are listed below:

Interpretation of complex DNA profiles, including mixtures
The effect of mutation on DNA data, including kinship analysis
Genetic tissue identification
DNA sequencing applications
Genetics of externally visible characteristics
Biogeographic ancestry

The 20-credit yearlong Unilang modules (stages 1 – 5 depending on language) aim to encourage a positive attitude to language learning and to develop and practise the four language skills of speaking, listening, reading and writing introducing the basic/increasingly complex grammatical structures and vocabulary of the spoken and written language (depending on stage) and developing your ability to respond appropriately in spoken and written form in simple and increasingly complex everyday situations.

These modules also introduce you to the country and the culture of the country. In doing this, Unilang modules are intended to encourage and support international mobility; to enhance employability at home and abroad; to improve communication skills in the foreign language and in English as well as cultural awareness.