Anthropology 486
Field Recovery of Human Remains
Summer 2015
Instructor: Dr. Cheryl Johnston
Office: G15B McKee
Telephone: 227-2816
E-mail: johnstonc@email.wcu.edu
Assistant Instructors:
Jane Brown: so_appal@yahoo.com
Paul Martin: psmartin3@catamount.wcu.edu
Office Hours: by appointment
Class meets in McKee 110 (and other locations as announced)
The course catalog describes this course as follows: Fundamentals of the field recovery of
human remains; survey, photography, excavation and recovery, and processing.
Course Requirements and Expectations:
Required Text:
Forensic Recovery of Human Remains: Archaeological Approaches 2nd Edition by Tosha
Dupras, John Schultz, Sandra Wheeler, and Lana Williams. CRC Press. 2012.
Tool Kits: Students are asked to purchase their own tools for class. A list of what to include will
be provided. Tool boxes and tools are also available to be borrowed. If you plan to make a career
out of forensic anthropology you should start to put together your own tool kit. This class will
get you off to a good start in putting together a tool kit for forensic anthropology.
Assignments
Field Notes:
Each student is expected to individually maintain notes and documentation of fieldwork (field
notes) for all activities (40 points). Field Notes will be checked four times on dates noted in the
course schedule and graded according to the rubric at the end of this syllabus. Field notes should
be well written, neat, complete, illustrated and should be kept in an 8 ½” X 11” spiral bound
notebook. You will need to purchase this. A 100 page notebook is all you need but it MUST
adhere to the 8 ½” X 11” size requirement mentioned above.
Reports:
Students will work in groups to produce reports on recovery exercises. Each report is worth 20
points.
Attendance and Participation:
Students may also earn up to 20 points for good attendance, being on time to class, active
participation and being a team player.
You are expected to attend class regularly and to take your own notes. You are responsible for
all material presented in class (including videos, activities, guest speaker, etc.) and for all out of
class assignments such as reading assignments. If you arrive for a class after attendance has
been taken you must speak with me at the end of class to make sure I record your attendance. If
you arrive late I will make a decision regarding whether you will be counted as present based on
your prior record and how late you are.
Professional Conduct:
The nature of forensic anthropology is such that contact with human remains, both skeletal and
fleshed, is a routine occurrence. This necessitates a standard of behavior higher than that of other
scientific disciplines. Students are expected at all times to treat human remains with dignity and
respect and to maintain confidentiality when confidential or privileged information is disclosed
or when students are given access to information of a private or otherwise sensitive nature.
Professional decorum is expected and behaviors such as “horseplay,” posting on electronic
media, and inappropriate humor will not be tolerated. Failure to abide by these expectations may
result in a failing grade in the course as well as the imposition of discipline under the Code of
Student Conduct or applicable University Policy.
Violation of any of the following rules may result in removal from the
laboratory or FOREST:
General Rules:
1) Cell phones and other electronic devices except as specified by the professor must be
turned off during class and field exercises.
2) No sandals or flip flops should be worn in the lab or in the field.
3) No shorts or skirts should be worn in the lab or in the field. Long pants only.
4) Bring water to drink on field days.
5) No photography in the field or lab unless approved by Dr. Johnston.
6) Avoid any plants with three leaves (“leaves of three, let it be”). Review the following
website and be ready to answer questions in class about the information presented:
http://www.poisonivy.us/
Lab Rules (for G15 McKee):
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
7)
8)
9)
10)
11)
12)
13)
14)
15)
No food/drink, book bags, jackets, cell phones, laptop computers, or other unattached
personal items in the Biohazard Zone (BHZ) in G15 McKee.
Cell Phones must be turned off and left by the lab door.
No handling of unprocessed human remains (including unprocessed bones) without
gloves.
If liquids other than water are used in the lab, face masks with face shields must be
worn.
No use of the scalpel without training.
When leaving the BHZ remove gloves, gowns, etc. Dispose of these items in the
biohazard waste bin.
Wash hands with antimicrobial soap before leaving the BHZ.
Prior to leaving the BHZ clean up the workspace and return specimens and equipment
to their proper storage locations.
Do not use or touch any equipment without training.
Do not use any chemicals, cleaners, etc. without training in their proper use.
No visitors are permitted in the BHZ without the permission of the laboratory
personnel.
No photography is permitted in the BHZ or adjacent laboratory space.
If accidental contamination occurs, wash affected areas thoroughly and immediately
contact laboratory personnel.
No horseplay or other disrespectful behavior in the BHZ or the forensic anthropology
laboratory.
Strict confidentiality must be maintained at all times. What goes on in the laboratory,
stays in the laboratory. What goes on at the FOREST (Forensic Osteology Research
Station) stays at the FOREST.
Suggestions:
1) Bring water, sunscreen, sunglasses, hat, bandana, and insect repellant on field days.
2) Bring a snack to eat mid morning and lunch if you think you will need to eat before 3 pm
when class gets out.
Grading:
Your final grade will be based on the following scale:
A+
A
AB+
B
BC+
100%-97%
96% - 94%
93% - 90%
89% - 86%
85% -83%
82% - 80%
79% - 76%
C
CD+
D
DF
75% - 73%
72% - 70%
69% - 66%
65% - 63%
62% - 60%
less than 60%
Total Possible Points:
Field Notes1
40 points
Project #1 Report2
20 points
Project #2 Report2
20 points
Attendance, Team Participation
20 points
Total possible
100 points
1: Each individual keeps and turns in field notes
2: Each group turns in a report
Points can be docked for failure to behave in a professional manner, follow lab or field rules,
failure to keep equipment clean, secure and in good working order, or failure to clean up after
yourself or your group each day.
WCU Academic Honesty Policy
Western Carolina University, as a community of scholarship, is also a community of honor.
Faculty, Staff, Administrators, and students work together to achieve the highest standards on
honesty and integrity. Academic dishonesty is a serious offense at WCU because it threatens the
quality of scholarship and defrauds those who depend on knowledge and integrity. Academic
dishonesty includes:
a. Cheating – Intentionally using or attempting to use unauthorized materials, information,
or study aids in any academic exercise.
b. Fabrication – Intentional falsification of information or citation in academic exercise.
c. Plagiarism – Intentionally or knowingly representing the words or ideas of someone else
as one’s own in an academic exercise.
d. Facilitation of Academic Dishonesty – Intentionally or knowingly helping or attempting
to help someone else to commit an act of academic dishonesty, such as knowingly
allowing another to copy information during an examination or other academic exercise.
Accommodation of Students with Disabilities
Accommodations for Students with Disabilities: Western Carolina University is committed to
providing equal educational opportunities for students with documented disabilities. Students
who require reasonable accommodations must identify themselves as having a disability and
provide current diagnostic documentation to Disability Services. All information is confidential.
Please contact Disability Services for more information at (828) 227-2716 or 144 Killian Annex.
You can also visit the office’s website: http://www.wcu.edu/12789.asp
Schedule
This is not carved in stone. I reserve the right to make changes as the course
progresses.
DATE TOPIC
MISC.
6/1
6/2
6/3
Notebook check #1
6/4
6/8
6/9
6/10
6/11
6/15
Introduction; Surface recovery
Using the Total Station/ Mapping
Forensic entomology/Search
Techniques/Mapping exercise
Lab processing of surface remains
Buried Remains Recovery
Buried Remains Recovery
Buried Remains Recovery
Buried Remains Recovery
Report on surface remains due
Notebook check #2
Buried Remains Recovery
6/16
6/17
6/18
6/22
6/23
6/24
6/25
6/29
6/30
7/1
Buried Remains Recovery
Buried Remains Recovery
Buried Remains Recovery
Notebook check #3
Remains
Recovery/Processing/Interpretation
Remains
Recovery/Processing/Interpretation
Remains
Recovery/Processing/Interpretation
Remains
Notebook check #4
Recovery/Processing/Interpretation
Remains
Recovery/Processing/Interpretation
Remains
Report on buried remains due
Recovery/Processing/Interpretation
Classroom presentations
Field Note check rubric:
1) Is the date recorded? (1 point).
2)
3)
4)
5)
Are the complete names of all participants and visitors to the scene recorded? (1 point).
Is the weather recorded and is it a complete description? (1 point).
Did the student list and describe activities that happened on __________? (4 points).
Are the notes written in a neat, concise manner? (3 points).