Human Anatomy And Physiology

This unit aims to provide a broad understanding of Human Anatomy, the study of the structure and relationship between body parts, and Physiology, the study of the function of body parts and the body as a whole. This Unit will focus on the link between form and function, and therefore their integrated relationship. It will provide the foundation required for further study in applied human physiology and related subjects in second year. The basic systems of the body and their interrelationships will be explored.

Human Anatomy and Physiology are fundamental disciplines relevant to medicine, life sciences and forensic science. Their study enables the identification and analysis of tissues and structural changes within them that allow for the diagnosis of disease.

Within the Human Anatomy and Physiology Unit you will learn about the relationship between structure and function, and integration and interdependence of all body systems.

Skills In Forensic Science

This unit will introduce you, as a new student, to the study of biology-based sciences at University level. It will develop a range of key study skills, with emphasis on the analysis and presentation of data. This unit will also provide you with orientation to the available resources in the learning resources centre and provide you with some basic information about career planning and organisation.

Practical classes will introduce basic laboratory techniques and report writing, including concepts of accuracy, precision and reproducibility in measurement.

In addition to the transferable skills you will develop in this unit, you will also learn a number of discipline-specific skills relevant to becoming a competent forensic practitioner, particularly those related to crime scene investigation and forensic evidence examination.

The skills learnt and developed during this unit will both facilitate your study and contribute towards enhancing your employability.

Molecular Genetics

This unit reviews and develops your knowledge and understanding of basic ideas and concepts in molecular genetics and so provides a foundation for many principles in the biosciences. The materials covered provide a foundation for the further study in a wide range of topic areas from biology, molecular biology, biochemistry, through to applications in forensic science.

The aims of the unit are:

to introduce the basics of molecular genetics;

to relate the processes of cell division with chromosome function and structure, and to develop an understanding of genetic inheritance;

to develop the ability to understand and interpret data in simple tables and graphs; and

to foster an awareness of safe laboratory practices and develop laboratory skills and effective group work behaviour.

Chemistry

This unit reviews and develops your knowledge and understanding of basic ideas and concepts in chemistry and provides a foundation for many of the principles in biosciences. The material covered will be useful for subsequent studies of biology, molecular biology, biochemistry, food and nutrition, forensic science, pharmaceutical science and pharmacology units.

The aims of the unit are:

to provide a fundamental understanding of chemistry;

• to develop skills in report writing and to develop the ability to handle data and presentation in simple tables and graphs; and
• to foster an awareness of safe laboratory practices and develop laboratory skills and effective group work behaviour.

Psychology And Criminal Behaviour

The unit will provide you with an introduction to the study of criminal behaviour, covering a basic grounding in some of the major issues, theories and research within the forensic psychology field. It will facilitate your understanding of the contexts (environmental, social and psychological) within which criminal behaviour occurs and the fundamental skills that are required of forensic psychologists in the assessment and rehabilitation of offenders.
The unit will explore theories of criminal behaviour and integrate criminal and forensic psychology into the knowledge of other areas of psychology to which you are being introduced in level 4 (e.g., biological, developmental, social and cognitive psychology, individual differences and research methods). Offender typologies and criminal-career paths for different types of offender (e.g., male, female, young, mentally disordered etc.) and different types of crime (violent, sexual, stalking, terrorism etc.) will be investigated.

Skills In Science

Within the Skills in Science unit, you will develop and practice a number of key subject-specific skills essential to a career in science. These include the ability to select and apply appropriate statistical analysis; evaluate relevant research literature and identify areas currently lacking in our knowledge or application; the ability to propose both a hypothesis and a novel experiment to address this hypothesis (including statistical analysis where appropriate); and the understanding to identify and address any health and safety or ethical considerations related to your proposal. These skills underpin the scientific method required for any scientific career. The basic notion of data analysis, identifying an issue, and developing a plan to address that issue is the basis of troubleshooting or product development in any career structure. In addition, within this unit, you will be equipped with transferrable skills such as presentation and communication skills, as well as planning and preparing for a career within your discipline. The skills developed within this unit will prove vital for the Level 6 research project unit and for a career in science. 

Interpretation And Presentation Of Forensic Evidence

Few areas in forensic science deliver definitive results; in most cases, the skills and expertise of the forensic scientist are called upon to provide the Investigating Officer and the Criminal Justice System with an opinion based on statistical assessment of analytical data and personal experience. The aim of this unit is to teach basic statistical methods, with a view to critically evaluating and communicating a variety of scientific findings.

Crimes Against Property

This unit will provide you with an understanding of criminal investigations involving crimes against property along with the analysis and interpretation of evidence associated with those crimes. Crimes against property will be compared using case study examples to highlight differences as well as looking at the importance of individuality in terms of evidential value. You will practise laboratory techniques commonly associated with evidence recovery from crimes against property.

Animals And Plants In Crime

This unit focuses on the use of animals and plants to aid forensic investigations, which includes a vast diversity of biological evidence that could be encountered at a crime scene.

It is essential that all forensic biologists have a working understanding of how to approach the examination and analysis of frequently encountered biological evidence types, and a good knowledge of the types of information that can be obtained from the rarer sample types, including how to preserve/recover them and which specialists to seek support from. This ensures that all of the available evidence on the case is utilised effectively to aid the investigation.

Biology In Forensic Science

Forensic biology is the application of biology to legal investigations. The unit focuses on the vast diversity of biological evidence that could be encountered at a crime scene and the various roles that biologists may play within an investigation.

Forensic biology has an application within the investigation of many different types of offences. This includes establishing the time of death, the cause of death, identification of people and establishing links between suspect(s), victim(s) and scene(s). It also covers routine examination and analysis of commonly encountered biological samples such as blood, semen, saliva and hair.

It is essential that all forensic biologists have a working understanding of how to approach the examination and analysis of frequently encountered biological evidence types, including how to preserve/recover them and which specialists to seek support from. This ensures that all of the available evidence on the case is utilised effectively to aid the investigation.

Psychology And Criminal Justice

This unit takes an in depth look at the role of psychology in the Criminal Justice System. The unit is designed to facilitate your understanding of the main components of the English and Welsh Criminal Justice System with some comparative perspectives provided in relation to other justice systems worldwide.

This unit focuses on psychological contributions to the processes of law-making, deterrence, enforcement, prosecution, court-processes and corrections. You will be provided with a framework to understand the role of psychologists and psychological research within the Criminal Justice System. The syllabus is based on current events, recent academic and Government research and the teaching team’s own research and experiences in practice. There is a focus on employability and you will gain an understanding of potential career opportunities in the field.

The unit integrates theory, research and practice providing you with an advanced understanding of key issues in psychology within Criminal Justice settings.

Forensic Science Research Project

This unit is an essential part of your BSc (Hons) degree. It allows you as final year students to undertake scientific research and provides an opportunity to develop and appraise your personal qualities for future employment. You will plan, design and execute a piece of research for which you will write a formal report. This will develop your abilities to read, research and understand scientific literature. You will design your project question to answer a query that could be posed as part of a forensic investigation. You must critically appraise your data and evidence from relevant research to provide a set of conclusions in response to your question.

During the process of your project, you will develop reflective skills as applied to research as you write your research diaries. This will allow you to demonstrate and evidence your ability to analyse data along with a range of interpretive and analytical skills indicative of a Forensic Science graduate.

 The key aims of this unit are:

• To research, plan, design and execute experimental methodologies relevant to scientific research work on an individual basis within the context of a research programme.
• To develop the techniques of critical analysis through critical evaluation and appraisal of your findings and their relevance to published scientific findings and data.
• To analyse data using appropriate techniques and to use relevant statistical techniques to investigate data.
• To use appropriate IT resources to support a written project report, producing documents which demonstrate a range of skills of written expression and vocabulary relevant to your course.
• To deliver an oral presentation which communicates your work effectively and demonstrates the skills associated with and developed during the project.
• To develop reflective skills as applied to research, based on maintaining a diary containing both a record of your research work and appropriate reflection on it, to provide evidence supporting the work submitted.

Forensic Toxicology And Drug Analysis

Forensic toxicology and drug analysis are core topics in forensic science that combine the identification and quantitation of drug materials with an understanding of how they are metabolised, distributed and removed from the body. This unit addresses the origin and properties of legal and illegal substances of abuse and their laboratory analysis, as well as developing a fundamental knowledge of all the relevant legislation, guidelines and regulatory bodies involved in this area. The aim of the unit is to bring together the multiple aspects of analytical chemistry and knowledge of substances of abuse and elucidate the role of the forensic drugs analyst and forensic toxicologist in the Criminal Justice system. 

Forensic Genetics

This unit provides a detailed look at all aspects of DNA analysis and profiling which often proves crucial to help progress a forensic investigation. Through learning topics, from sampling of evidence to the interpretation and presentation of results, you should be able to devise an appropriate forensic strategy for DNA evidence based on the given case circumstances.

Forensic genetics is an essential subject as it covers the use of many molecular biology based methods, which will enable graduates of the Forensic Science course to seek employment not only within the forensic sector, but also with many research laboratories, analytical science-based companies, the pharmaceutical industry or the Home Office, where they are required to prepare and run techniques such as the polymerase chain reaction, real-time PCR, capillary electrophoresis or massively parallel sequencing. 

Crime Scene To Court

This unit provides the opportunity for you to work on a simulated forensic investigation, from recovery of the evidence at a crime scene right through to the presentation of your results in a court session. It is designed to allow you to bring together knowledge and skills developed throughout the rest of your course, to complete the appropriate analyses and associated paperwork in line with industry standards.

Fire Analysis

Fire and explosion investigation has become an area of increasing importance for the forensic chemist. In order to reconstruct events which have led to the creation of fire or explosion crime scenes the forensic scientist must understand fire dynamics and the composition and chemistry of explosives, whilst being able to identify, recover and analyse evidence through chemical techniques.