Forensics: The Archaeology of Death & Crime Scenes (ARCS2003)

Course overview

This course explores the place of archaeological techniques of search, recovery and analysis within a forensic (pertaining to the law) context. An introduction to human skeletal analysis, searching, trace evidence, DNA and forensic testing, the criminal justice system, and the archaeology of human death are provided. For ethical reasons this course is taught using high quality model human bones, rather than real human remains.

***WARNING*** This course contains material that may upset some people. For example, the course material will include images of deceased people, human decomposition, skeletal remains, mummified remains, and traumatic injury to soft tissue and bone. In addition, the course covers potentially confronting subject matter such as the recovery of human remains after disasters, and the excavation and recording of mass graves. If this material is likely to upset you, please do not enrol in this course.

For the information of students of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander descent, ancestral burial sites will be discussed in this course and some readings will discuss ancestral remains from Australia in the context of human osteological examination. There may be images of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ancestral remains in the lecture materials (only when it is present within material that has already been published elsewhere with the consent of traditional owners).ﾠHowever, no ancestral remains will be handled in this course.ﾠ

Course requirements

Assumed background

The course makes no assumptions regarding previous knowledge or study.

Prerequisites

You'll need to complete the following courses before enrolling in this one:

4 units of undergrad courses

Incompatible

You can't enrol in this course if you've already completed the following:

CRIM2060 and BIOM2003

Course contact

Course staff

Timetable

The timetable for this course is available on the UQ Public Timetable.

Aims and outcomes

Forensic investigation is a relatively recent addition to the usual aims of archaeology. The aims and techniques of crime scene investigation have much in common with methods developed by archaeologists over the past century, and this overlap is increasingly being recognised by crime investigators.

The course explores a variety of forensic contexts and techniques at an introductory level, including:

• human skeletal anatomy and basic identification of biological sex, age, stature and ancestry;
• human skeletal pathology and trauma;
• a consideration of forensic evidence, including DNA and trace evidence analysis;
• forensic entomology and other crime scene contextual evidence;
• archaeological field methods with respect to the location, collection and recording of evidence;
• the criminal justice system;
• the nature of evidence and its role in criminal justice; and,
• preparation of an expert forensic report.

Students will develop skills in critical thinking, and the application of archaeological and other scientific techniques to legal investigations.

Learning outcomes

After successfully completing this course you should be able to:

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment details

In-Class Osteology Exam

Mode

Written

Category

Examination

Weight

30%

Due date

8/04/2025 - 9/04/2025

In scheduled practical class

Task description

Exam details

Submission guidelines

The exam will be held in class time.

Deferral or extension

You may be able to defer this exam.

You can request a deferred exam if you can provide evidence of unavoidable circumstances that prevented you from sitting your original exam at its scheduled date and time. Your application must include supporting evidence. The request will be assessed based on the evidence you provide when you apply.

An application on the basis of a Student Access Plan (SAP) or Extension Verification Letter (EVL) alone will not be accepted. If you are applying on medical grounds, a medical practitioner must assess your condition and provide a signed medical certificate that covers the day of the examination. You must obtain a medical certificate no later than two business days after the date of the original examination. Further details of acceptable evidence for deferred examination can be found here.

For information on eligibility and application instructions, please view the following page on myUQ: Deferring an exam - my.UQ - University of Queensland

Late submission

You will receive a mark of 0 if this assessment is submitted late.

Short Answer Paper- Five questions

• In-person
• Online

Mode

Written

Category

Paper/ Report/ Annotation

Weight

30%

Due date

12/05/2025 2:00 pm

Task description

Submission guidelines

This assessment will be completed by accessing the Inspera digital assessment platform, in-class. You will complete this assessment using your own digital device (i.e. a laptop). Devices can be loaned from UQ Library at no cost.

Deferral or extension

You may be able to defer this exam.

You can request a deferred exam if you can provide evidence of unavoidable circumstances that prevented you from sitting your original exam at its scheduled date and time. Your application must include supporting evidence. The request will be assessed based on the evidence you provide when you apply. 

An application on the basis of a Student Access Plan (SAP) or Extension Verification Letter (EVL) alone will not be accepted. If you are applying on medical grounds, a medical practitioner must assess your condition and provide a signed medical certificate that covers the day of the examination. You must obtain a medical certificate no later than two business days after the date of the original examination. Further details of acceptable evidence for deferred examination can be found here. 

For information on eligibility and application instructions, please view the following page on myUQ: Deferring an exam - my.UQ - University of Queensland

Late submission

A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.

Work will not be accepted if it is more than one week (7 calendar days) late without prior approval. 

Assemblage Analysis and Forensic report

Mode

Written

Category

Paper/ Report/ Annotation

Weight

40%

Due date

30/05/2025 2:00 pm

Task description

Submission guidelines

You must submit your assignment electronically by the due time, on the due date. 

Your assignment must be submitted via Turnitin on blackboard. To submit your assignment electronically log in to https://learn.uq.edu.au/ultra with your UQ username and password, then click on Course Code>>Assessment>>Assignments, and use the appropriate assignment submission link for each piece of assessment. No e-mailed submissions of assessments will be accepted. 

By uploading your assignment via Turnitin, you are certifying that the work you submit is your own work except where correctly attributed to another source. Do not submit your assignment if it contains any work that is not your own. 

You are required to retain proof of submission of your assessment. Your Digital Receipt is available for download from your Assignment Dashboard. If you cannot see your submission and download your digital receipt, your assessment has not been successfully submitted; please submit again.  

If you are experiencing technical difficulties with Blackboard, please contact the ITS Support Team. 

Deferral or extension

You may be able to apply for an extension.

The maximum extension allowed is 28 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.

You must submit a request for an extension as soon as it becomes clear you need an extension. Your request should be submitted no later than the assessment item's due date and time.

The request must be accompanied by supporting documentation corroborating the reason for the request. A list of acceptable reasons for an extension and the evidence you must provide can be found here. Your request may be refused if you do not meet the acceptable reasons for an extension. The student submitting the request is fully responsible for all supporting documentation that is provided with the request and should ensure all documents are authentic.

In the School of Social Science, extensions on the basis of an approved Student Access Plan (SAP) or an Extension Verification Letter (EVL) can be approved for a maximum period of 7 calendar days. Subsequent extensions for a piece of assessment will require additional supporting documentation (e.g., a medical certificate or other supporting evidence listed on my.UQ).

Extension requests exceeding the maximum extension period stated for a piece of assessment will only be considered under exceptional circumstances (circumstances outside of your control) with additional supporting documentation.

Late applications must include evidence of the reasons for the late request, detailing why you were unable to apply for an extension by the due date and time. The School of Social Science will not accept personal statements.

Students may be asked to supply the work they have completed to date on the assessment piece. This is to establish what efforts have already been made to complete the assessment, and whether the proposed work plan is feasible. Extension requests are processed and managed by the School of Social Science Administration Team.

Extensions in your final semester of study could delay your graduation by up to one semester.

Late submission

A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.

Work can NOT be accepted if it is more than one week (7 calendar days) late without prior approval. 

Course grading

Full criteria for each grade is available in the Assessment Procedure.

Supplementary assessment

Supplementary assessment is not available for some items in this course.

Supplementary assessment is an additional opportunity to demonstrate that the learning requirements for an eligible course have been satisfied and that the graduate attributes for the course have been attained. Supplementary assessment may only be granted where Supplementary Assessment – procedures allow. A passing grade of 4 (or P) is the highest grade that can be awarded in a course where supplementary assessment has been granted. For further information on supplementary assessment please see my.UQ.

Additional assessment information

Academic Integrity: All students must complete the Academic Integrity Modules https://www.uq.edu.au/integrity/

School Guide for Written Assessments: School of Social Science Guide for Written Assessments

Release of Marks: The marks and feedback for assessments will be released to students in a timely manner, prior to the due date of the next assessment piece for the course. This is with the exception of the final piece of assessment. The marks and feedback for the final assessment item will only be made available to the student on the Finalisation of Grades date at the end of semester.

Assessment Re-mark: For information on requesting an assessment re-mark, please view the following page on my.UQ: https://my.uq.edu.au/querying-result

Learning resources

You'll need the following resources to successfully complete the course. We've indicated below if you need a personal copy of the reading materials or your own item.

Library resources

Library resources are available on the UQ Library website.

Additional learning resources information

Selected course readings and lecture notes will be made available from the ARCS2003 Blackboard webpage. Optional readings to supplement the course for those interested will be added to the ARCS2003 Blackboard webpage. Additional information can be found in the following sources. These are optional further resources for developing a further interest in forensic anthropology and related fields:

Books:

Bass, W.M. (1995) Human Osteology: A Laboratory and Field Manual. Columbia: Missouri Archaeological Society.

Brothwell, D. (1981) Digging Up Bones: The excavation, treatment and study of human skeletal remains. London: British Museum.

Burke, H. & C. Smith (2004) The Archaeologist's Field Handbook. Crow's Nest: Allen & Unwin.

Byers, S. (2017) Introduction to Forensic Anthropology (5th ed.). London: Routledge.

Dupras, T. L., J. J. Schultz, S. M. Wheeler and L. J. Williams (2006) Forensic Recovery of Human Remains: Archaeological approaches. Boca Raton: CRC Press.

Haglund, W.D. & M.H. Sorg (1997) Forensic Taphonomy: The postmortem fate of human remains. Boca Raton: CRC Press.

Haglund W.D. & M.H. Sorg (2002) Advances in Forensic Taphonomy: Method, theory, and archaeological perspectives. Boca Raton: CRC Press.

Hunter, J. & M. Cox (2005) Forensic Archaeology: Advances in theory and practice. London: Routledge.

Oxenham, M. (ed) (2008) Forensic Approaches to Death, Disaster and Abuse. Bowen Hills, Queensland: Australian Academic Press.

Journals:

Available electronically via the UQ Library:

American Journal of Forensic Medicine and Pathologyﾠ

American Journal of Physical Anthropologyﾠ

Archaeometryﾠ

Australian Archaeologyﾠ

FBI Law Enforcement Bulletinﾠ

Forensic Science Internationalﾠ

Geoarchaeologyﾠ

International Journal of Osteoarchaeologyﾠ

Journal of Archaeological Method and Theoryﾠ

Journal of Archaeological Scienceﾠ

Journal of Field Archaeologyﾠ

Journal of Forensic Sciences

Learning activities

The learning activities for this course are outlined below. Learn more about the learning outcomes that apply to this course.

Additional learning activity information

Analysis of recovered bones and objects for the assemblage analysis assessment

Policies and procedures

University policies and procedures apply to all aspects of student life. As a UQ student, you must comply with University-wide and program-specific requirements, including the:

• Student Code of Conduct Policy
• Student Integrity and Misconduct Policy and Procedure
• Assessment Procedure
• Examinations Procedure
• Reasonable Adjustments - Students Policy and Procedure

Learn more about UQ policies on my.UQ and the Policy and Procedure Library.