1
SAMPLE SYLLABUS ONLY
THIS IS FROM 2009, will be updated and changed
Guest lecturers will be different, lecture content will be
similar, some requirements may change, FINAL EXAM
may be entirely in class – this is yet to be determined.
Introduction to Forensic Anthropology
Department of Anthropology,
New York University
V14:0326
4 points. Biological anthropology examines the evolutionary history and adaptability of humans and
our ancestors. Forensic anthropology is an applied subfield of biological anthropology that provides
expert analysis of the skeleton in a medicolegal setting by utilizing methods developed in skeletal
biology, archaeology, and the forensic sciences. Forensic anthropologists play critical roles in
identifying victims of mass fatalities (such as World Trade Center and Kansas City bombings),
homicides (such as identifying the Russian Tsar’s family) and distinguishing cause of death. We will
examine how forensic anthropologists approach modern and historic crimes in the laboratory and the
field. Students will be introduced to the underlying theory and the applied techniques that forensic
anthropologists use to recover and identify individuals and assess cause of death. Course grades are
based on an early semester quiz, a lab report, a written midterm, and a final.
Required Texts:
Komar D.A. and Buikstra, J.E. (2008) Forensic Anthropology: Contemporary Theory and Practice.
Oxford
Maples, W.R. and Browning. (2000) Dead Men Do Tell Tales. Main Street Press.
Time & Location: Tuesday/Thursday 9:30-10:45; Silver 405
Course Contacts:
Dr. Susan Antón,
susan.anton@nyu.edu; Rm 905 Rufus Smith Hall, 25 Waverly Place; 992-9786.
Office Hours: Tues/Thurs 11-12 or by appointment.
TA: Connie Fellmann;
cf557@nyu.edu ; Rm 904 Rufus Smith Hall, 25 Waverly Place;
Office Hours: Wed 2-4 pm, or by appointment
Course Requirements:
Bone Quiz
Midterm
Final - (objective part April 30/take home May 5)
1 Lab Writeup
20
110
160
30
2
TOTAL
320
Exams: There will be two cumulative exams. Each exam will consist of “objective” questions (i.e.,
multiple choice, true or false, fill in the blank) and short essay questions.
Lab Writeup:. In February, you will be required to attend one laboratory session DURING
REGULAR CLASS HOURS. At that time, you will be given instructions on completing your lab
write-up, which will be due 2 weeks after your lab session.
3
2009 Syllabus ONLY, SUBJECT TO CHANGE
SAMPLE SYLLABUS ONLY
THIS IS FROM 2009, will be updated and changed
Guest lecturers will be different, lecture content will be
similar, some requirements may change, FINAL EXAM
may be entirely in class – this is yet to be determined.
- Lecture, Laboratory and Reading Schedule -
V14:0326 - Intro to Forensic Anthropology
Date
Day
Jan
20
10th
Tues Death and those who study it :
Skeletal Biology, Forensic Anthropology, and the judicial
system
Thur Discovery and Recovery: Legal custody of human remains?
What happens at autopsy? Chain of Custody? What counts
as evidence.
Tues Discovery and Recovery:
Finding and processing the scene, the importance of
context. Forensic vs. nonforensic contexts.
Thur Why the human skeleton tells about life and behavior I:
Evolutionary Theory
Tues How the human skeleton tells about life and behavior II:
Bone Biology and the Human Skeleton
Thur The human skeleton and anatomical terminology continued:
Distinguishing human from nonhuman bones – bear paws
and other missteps
Tues Estimating Age at Death I: Subadults
12th
Thur Estimating Age at Death II: Adults; Estimating Sex
22nd
27th
29th
Feb
3rd
5th
Topic
Bone Quiz
17th
19th
24th
26th
Tues LAB: Students 1-26
meet at 25 Waverly Place room 901
Thur LAB: Students 27- 53
meet at 25 Waverly Place room 901
Tues LAB: Students 54 -72
meet at 25 Waverly Place room 901
Thur Estimating sex and stature;
Laboratory processing - artifacts of legal burials and
cremations
Reading
Assignment
Text: Chapter
Komar: 1 & 2
Maples: 1 & 7
Komar: 2
Komar: 4 p.87-90;
99-101
Komar: 4 p. 65-76;
90-99; 102-112
Maples: 4
Accessory Reading
Accessory Reading
Accessory Reading
Komar: 4 p.76-87
Komar: 5 p. 136140 (subadults)
Komar: 5 p.126136; 141-147
(adults)
Komar: 5 p. 141147; 149-150
Maples: 3 & 10
4
Mar
3rd
5th
10th
12th
Tues Forensic Applications of Bone Histology
Guest Lecturer: Christian Crowder, Forensic
Anthropologist: Chief Medical Examiner’s Office NY
LAB DUE from Students 1-26
Thur Forensic Case Studies:
Guest Lecturer: Heather Walsh-Haney, Forensic
Anthropologist, Florida Gulf Coast University
LAB DUE from Students 27-53
Tues Estimating Ancestry: the skeleton and geographic variation
LAB DUE from Students 54-72
Thur Estimating Ancestry: DNA and geographic groups
Guest Lecturer: Todd Disotell, Dept Anthropology, New
York University
SPRING BREAK
Mar
16-20
24th
Tues Individuating characteristics & Making an Identification:
Genetic Markers;
26th
31st
April
2nd
7th
9th
14th
16th
21st
23rd
28th
30th
5th
Thur
Accessory reading
Accessory reading
Komar: 5 p.147148
Accessory
Readings
Komar: 8
MIDTERM Exam (110 points) –
Covers topic through Thur March 12th
Tues Individuating characteristics & Making an Identification:
Bone and tooth
Thur No Class – American Association of Physical
Anthropologists annual meeting in Chicago (you should go)
Tues Antemortem changes to the skeleton;
Cause and Manner of Death: Taphonomy
Thur Cause and Manner of Death: Trauma –Sharp trauma
Guest Lecturer: Chris Rainwater, Office of Chief Medical
Examiner, NY and, NYU Anthropology
Tues Estimating time since Death;
Cause and Manner of Death: Trauma – Blunt force
Thur Cause and Manner of Death: Trauma – Projectile trauma
(gunshots)
Tues Special Cases: Mass Fatalities
Tentative Guest Lecturer: Paul Sledzik, National
Transportation Safety Board
Thur Special Cases: US War Dead, MIA’s
Guest Lecturer: Franklin Damann, Armed Forces Institute
of Pathology
Tues Special Cases: War crimes, human rights & genocide
The Forensic Anthropologist’s role outside the lab; Expert
Testimony and Education in Forensic Anthropology
Thur Final Exam – Objective Question Portion
TUE Take-home Essays of FINAL Exam due no later
than noon.
Komar: 8
Maples: 11 & 13
Komar: 7
Komar: 6
Maples: 5 & 16
Komar: 6
Komar: 6
Maples 15
Komar: 9
Maples: 12
Accessory Reading
Komar: 9
Komar: 3 p. 51-61
5
SAMPLE SYLLABUS ONLY
THIS IS FROM 2009, will be updated and changed
Guest lecturers will be different, lecture content will be
similar, some requirements may change, FINAL EXAM
may be entirely in class – this is yet to be determined.