MEDT 220 Forensic Science
Description
This is an introductory course to the field of forensic science, discussing laboratory techniques and assays used in determining the evidential value of crime scene and related evidence. The emphasis will be placed on blood and genetic analysis, forensic toxicology, and forensic microbiology.
This course meets the group D breadth requirements of the College of Arts and Sciences and is open to nonmajors.
Prerequisite
BISC104 or BISC207
Objectives
Upon completion of the course, students should be able to:
- Explain the procedures used in maintaining the chain of evidence.
- Describe how to detect blood and semen in material collected from a crime scene.
- Discuss how to distinguish human blood from animal blood.
- Discuss the transmission of genes, i.e., hereditary.
- Describe the principles of genetic tests used in a forensic laboratory, e.g., collection and extraction of DNA, restriction length polymorphism, polymerase chain reaction, variable number tandem repeat, etc.
- Discuss the probabilities of DNA from two different sources matching.
- Analyze the results of genetic comparisons.
- List drugs of abuse commonly tested for in forensic laboratories.
- Discuss the principles of chemical analyses used in forensic drug testing.
- List bacteria, viruses, and toxins considered to be likely agents of bioterrorism.
- Describe the role of a laboratory in identifying bioterrorist attacks.
Syllabus for MEDT 220 Forensic Science
Unit 1 |
Introduction to Forensic Science
Crime laboratory services
Types of crime scene evidence
Chain of evidence
Immunoassays
Physical evidence
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Unit 2 |
DNA Analysis
Structure and replication of DNA
Mitochondrial DNA
Principles of genetics and heredity
Extraction of DNA from specimens
DNA typing including restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP), polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and DNA electrophoresis
Forensic DNA profiling
Combined DNA Index System (CODIS)
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Unit 3 |
Forensic Toxicology
Introduction to forensic toxicology
Pharmokinetics and metabolism of drugs
Drugs of abuse: alcohol, cannabis, hallucinogens, etc.
Forensic chemistry: gas chromatography, high-performance liquid chromatography, etc. |
Unit 4 |
Forensic Microbiology
Introduction to infectious diseases and bioterrorism
Description of bacteria and viruses
Biological toxins
Genetic analysis of microorganisms
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Instructor
Dr. Don Lehman
dlehman@udel.edu
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