ARCH42930: FORENSIC ARCHAEOLOGY AND ANTHROPOLOGY: THEORY AND PRACTICE

• ARCH51630 Osteoprofiling

• None

• None

• To enable students to acquire an advanced understanding of key concepts, approaches and debates in forensic archaeology and anthropology across a global humanitarian forensic context, including examples of genocide, disaster victim identification, and refugee crises. Practical skills will also be developed in the laboratory and during a simulated 'mass grave' location and excavation exercise.

• Understanding post-depositional processess and their impact on skeletal remains
• Contexts of violence, including trauma laboratory
• Survey and imaging skills to locate human remains
• Oral presentation skills by presenting on debates on related topics
• Practical skills of fieldwalking, geophysical survey, excavation
• Producing specialists report
• Primary skeletal data collection in the laboratory
• Critical reflection of a practical mass grave exercise
• Lectures on professional practice in a range of forensic contextx including DVI, irregular migrants and post-conflict regions

Subject-specific Knowledge:

• Knowledge of the social, political and cultural context of the development and practice of forensic archaeology and anthropology as a discipline and profession, internationally.
• Knowledge of key processes of taphonomic changes affecting bodily decay and the interpretation of these within forensic contexts.
• Knowledge of the range of methods that can be used for the location, recovery and identification of human remains in a range of forensic contexts.
• Knowledge of the parameters involved when formulating a forensic strategy in the field and laboratory and an understanding of the requirements involved in ensuring the continuity of evidence within investigations involving bodily recovery.
• Knowledge of debates surrounding forensic practice internationally with reference to the work of key organisations (e.g. the International Committee of the Red Cross and the International Commission on Missing Persons, and INTERPOL) which operate within the forensic humanitarian sphere.
• Knowledge, and critical understanding of, a range of key terms, concepts, approaches, techniques and debates in the method, theory and practice of forensic archaeology and anthropology.

Subject-specific Skills:

• Ability to apply appropriate scholarly, theoretical and scientific principles and concepts to archaeological and anthropological problems within a forensic context.
• Ability to accurately perform a range of techniques for determining an osteological profile, including from isolated and fragmented bones.
• Ability to identify pathological and traumatice features on bone, describe their potential aetiology, and provide a differential diagnosis where appropriate.
• Professionalism in working effectively as part of an investigative team to locate and excavate human remains, understanding the roles of others, and the methods to employ for an effective forensic strategy.
• Ability to produce balanced, impartial written reports using relevant standardised methods that are clear and comprehensive.
• Understand and describe the potentials and limitations of advanced analytical techniques that may be applied to the skeleton to grather further information pertinent to identification in the forensic context.
• Ability to practice core fieldwork techniques of surveying, recording, excavation and sampling.
• Demonstrate understanding of safe working practices (personal safety, safety of team members and others present) in the laboratory and field and the function and practice of quality assurance (validation and peer review).
• Ability to evaluate the most appropriate equipment and devise a forensic strategy within a simulated forensic scenario.

Key Skills:

• Use of computer and information technology, (including internet, word processing, spreadsheets, computer-based mapping, graphing, image processing and searching relevant propietary and open databases to support interpretation).
• Ability to undertake independent study, research and problem-solving.
• Participation in and reflection on collaborative group/team work.
• Sampling, collection, recording, quantitative analysis, critical analysis and interpretation of complex promary and secondary data.
• Preparation and effective communication of research methods, data, results, interpretations and arguments in oral, written and visual form.
• An ability to produce work to prescribed guidelines and deadlines.

• The module will be delivered using a mixture of lectures, seminars and practical sessions, including a one-week long fieldwork exercise. The lectures will provide important information regarding key concepts in forensic archaeology and anthropology, the seminars will allow students to develop their critical analysis and presentation skills, and the practical sessions are essential for applying and developing methodological skills as well as other outcomes relevant to working in a professional context. The delivery methods and assessment are focused on attaining the key skills required in the learning outcomes skills i.e. specialist report, reflective report on fieldwork, and oral presentation.

If you have a question about Durham's modular degree programmes, please visit our Help page. If you have a question about modular programmes that is not covered by the Help page, or a query about the on-line Postgraduate Module Handbook, please contact us.

Prospective Students: If you have a query about a specific module or degree programme, please Ask Us.

Current Students: Please contact your department.