This course provides a comprehensive overview of the discipline of forensic anthropology. Forensic anthropology employs methods from biological anthropology, archaeology, and other disciplines to locate, identify, and interpret human remains. While these methods are useful in a variety of contexts, forensic anthropologists often work closely with law enforcement. This course will cover topics such as human decomposition processes, locating and recovering skeletal remains, skeletal anatomy, and interpretation of skeletal remains (e.g. age-sex estimation, height estimation, recognition of disease indicators in the skeleton).

Forensic Anthropology: A Comprehensive Introduction, 2nd edition edited by Natalie R. Langley & MariaTeresa A. Tersigni-Tarrant (2017), ISBN: 978-1498736121 (paperback, ebook, or looseleaf)

Most readings are from the required textbook. Additional readings will be posted on Canvas.

By the end of this course, you should be able to:

• 1) Remember the names of the bones in the body and appropriate terminology for referring to bodily position.
• 2) Analyze human bony remains to determine a basic biological profile, especially stature, biological sex, and approximate age.
• 3) Explain how various factors (e.g. temperature, humidity, fire, etc.) impact the appearance of bony remains.

Readings

Most readings are from the required textbook. Additional readings will be posted on Canvas.

Osteology Terms

It is critical that you learn basic bone names and other osteology terms early in the semester, as we will use that vocabulary throughout the entire semester. We will go over these terms in class, but you will need to practice outside of class to master this information. You may use online quizzes, flashcards, anatomy coloring books, YouTube videos, or VR apps to help you learn these terms. VR headsets can be accessed at the SUU Library or my office during office hours. You will need to turn in 1) a log of the time (at least 2.5 hours) you spent reviewing osteology terms, and 2) evidence of the methods you used (e.g. a screenshot of your osteology quiz, a page from your anatomy coloring book). The log and associated documentation is worth 25 points.

Reading Notes

You should complete the reading associated with each class period before class that day. As you read, you are expected to take notes. A great deal of research has shown that taking notes while reading improves comprehension and retention of new information (e.g. Gourley, 2021). About once per week (see the deadlines in the schedule below), you will be expected to submit the first page of your handwritten reading notes for that week. You need to submit one full page of notes or an equivalent amount of work (e.g. a detailed labeled diagram, a stack of flash cards, a video of you singing a song you wrote to help you remember the stages of decomposition) in order to receive full credit. Do not turn in your class notes as reading notes. These are meaningfully distinct. Note that one week has assigned podcast listening instead of reading. You will still need to turn in notes covering the podcast. Weekly reading notes are worth 10 points (x 11 weeks for a total of 110 points; some weeks do not have reading notes due). You may submit notes in class or via Canvas upload.

Activities

Many class periods, especially on Thursdays, will have activities. For example, you will practice osteological measurements and turn in your work. Occasionally you will be asked to complete an activity outside of class time. The total number of points for all the activities associated with the class is • 215. If you are absent when an activity is completed, you may turn in the activity late for a deduction in points (see late work policy). However, many activities cannot be completed outside of class because they require materials used in class (e.g. skull casts). If you miss class, check Canvas for a makeup assignment. Some activities will require you to schedule a makeup time to complete the assignment. Failing to makeup the assignment within the time allotted on Canvas may result in a zero for the assignment.

Book Review

In a semester-long class, it can be difficult to gain perspective into what a day-to-day career in anthropology is like. To help you gain insight into life as a forensic anthropologist, you will read a non-fiction book of your choosing, written by either a forensic anthropologist or someone who works in a closely related field. I will circulate a sign-up sheet with relevant books early in the class. You will need to write a 600-800 word book review. Your review should provide a brief summary, your opinions and interpretation, connections to concepts discussed in class, and whether the book changed your perspective on what it is like to be a practitioner in this field. Additional guidance for this assignment will be provided in class. The book review is worth 125 points. Book reviews are due in class on Thursday, November 12th.

Exams

There will be 2 exams in the course. Each exam is worth 175 points. The exams will be held during regular class periods. The final exam period is reserved for final presentations.

Name Us Project

You will complete a project in which you will use course principles to attempt to match unidentified human remains with an unsolved missing person case. You are expected to make progress on this project throughout the semester. You will write a description of your findings in a format provided in class. While a successful match would be exciting, you do not need to solve a cold case to earn full credit for this assignment. You need to use course concepts to provide a justification for why your match is plausible. Additional information about this assignment will be provided in class. This assignment is worth 175 points, and it will be due in class during the final exam period. 115 points come from the write-up of this assignment, and an additional 60 points are from a presentation of your project during the final exam period. You must work with a partner on this project. Presentations will be held during the final exam period, which is Tuesday, December 15th, from 9 to 10:50 AM. If you miss the final, you need to contact me immediately. Grades are due soon after our final, so opportunities for makeup are limited.

Grading

Your grade will be based on your performance on 2 exams worth 175 points each, the Name Us project and presentation worth 175 points, osteology review assignments worth 25 points, reading notes worth 110 points, a book review worth 125 points, and various activities worth a total of 215 points. There will be a total of 1000 points in the class.

• 93-100% A 80-82% B- 67-69% D+
• 90-92% A- 77-79% C+ 63-66% D
• 87-89% B+ 73-76% C 60-62% D-
• 83-86% B 70-72% C- < 60% F

• = reading notes due; ** = book review due

Late Work and Missed Work

No work will be accepted after the final exam period for this class, which is on December 15th from 9-10:50 AM.

During the semester, late assignments (not including exams) are accepted for a reduction in points. Late work will be accepted up to two weeks after the deadline (but not beyond the end of the term). 2% will be deducted from the score for each day the assignment is late (e.g. for an assignment submitted 4 days late, the maximum score you can earn is 92%). The maximum late deduction is 20%.

Note that some assignments will require alternate assignments if they are missed.

Missed Exams

If you miss an exam due to extenuating circumstances (i.e. illness, not vacation), you may contact me for an all-essay makeup exam. The makeup exam must be scheduled within one week of the missed exam and completed within two weeks of the missed exam.

Canvas

I will post grades, lecture slides, links to relevant resources, and announcements on Canvas. Check Canvas regularly.

Electronics

Silence all electronics before class. You may use your laptop for note-taking purposes. Please do not browse the Internet, use social media, or use your phone during class. It is rude and distracting to me and your fellow students. If you are being distracting, you may be asked to leave class.

Use of AI

The use of generative AI (artificial intelligence) writing programs (ChatGPT, Bing AI, Claude) is not allowed in this class. This means that you cannot submit writing or other work that was produced by AI and pass it off as your own. While AI can be useful for some purposes, forensic anthropologists are often called upon to make interpretations in real time, and to make judgments that need to hold up in a court of law, and AI is not currently compatible with those needs. AI is prone to factual inaccuracies, invented sources, and made-up quotes from real sources, all of which are problematic in any academic context, but particularly in the medicolegal context of forensic anthropology. If these common AI issues or other AI red flags are detected in your work, you will be given a 0 for that assignment. Repeated offenses will result in failure of the class.

There are two exceptions to the AI ban: 1) you may use AI as a study aid for exams and course concepts and 2) you may leverage AI to help you match a missing person to unidentified remains as part of your final project; however your analysis of that match must be your own work.

This is a face-to-face course. There will be no accommodations for remote learning without documentation from the Disability Resource Center. You are expected to attend class regularly, and you are unlikely to succeed in this class if you are routinely absent. Some class periods will have in-class activities with associated points (see below). If you miss class, check Canvas to see how you can make up the points associated with the class you missed. Note that some makeup activities will differ from the in-class activity. For instance, if students received points for attendance on a day you missed class, you may have to turn in notes or an article analysis to make up the missed points. See Exams section below for the procedure for missed exams.

Courses in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences are assigned a program fee of $4.00 per credit hour.

CONTENT WARNING – Many of the course materials, including your textbook, some videos, and class slides will include actual photos of deceased individuals to illustrate concepts about decomposition and skeletal structure.