PATHOL 3100OL - Topics in Forensic Sciences

Online - Semester 2 - 2025

The aim of this course is to provide students with an overview of a variety of topics within the area of forensic sciences including pathology, toxicology, anthropology and odontology. It is not intended to provide students with a detailed knowledge of any of these areas, but rather provide insight into how they may be used to investigate crime. Topics to be covered include the changes in the body with death and decomposition; the pathology of wounds; burns; disaster victim identification; sudden death in children and adults; medical misadventure and drug related deaths. A background knowledge of basic anatomy and physiology is expected.

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Course Details

Course Code	PATHOL 3100OL
Course	Topics in Forensic Sciences
Coordinating Unit	Medical Sciences
Term	Semester 2
Level	Undergraduate
Location/s	Online
Units	3
Contact	2 hours per week
Available for Study Abroad and Exchange	Y
Prerequisites	HLTH SC 2104 or PATHOL 3101 or MEDIC ST 1000B
Assessment	Three assignments

Course Staff

Course Coordinator: Mrs Melissa Walker

Course Coordinator and primary course contact person: Melissa Walker
Phone: +61 8 8313 6323
Email: melissa.walker@adelaide.edu.au
Location:Room N237, Helen Mayo North (Wed and Thurs)

Co - Course Coordinator: Dr Lilli Stephenson
Phone: +61 8 8 313 4161
Email: lilli.stephenson@adelaide.edu.au
Location: Room N207, Helen Mayo North

Course Timetable

The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from .

Full details will be located in MyUni.

Course Learning Outcomes

1	Describe the basis of forensic science and pathology and how these areas interact with the law
2	Describe the terminology used in forensic practice
3	Describe basic court structure, certain legal issues and evidence delivery.
4	Describe and discuss, on a basic level, how crime scene investigations together with forensic toxicology, forensic anthropology, forensic odontology, forensic DNA analysis and illicit drug analysis can support the investigation of serious crime.
5	Outline types and features of natural and unnatural deaths, including those due to: • Medical conditions • Homicides • Suicides • Accidental deaths • Sudden infant death syndrome
6	Explain how pathological processes can be integrated into the investigation of suspicious and non-suspicious deaths
7	Describe the process of disaster victim identification as it was applied after the Bali bombings and the Thailand tsunami.
8	Recognise features of injuries and to develop a knowledge of injury patterns and types including those due to: • Burns • Drowning • Electrocution • Asphyxia • Firearms
9	Source and reference relevant information from the literature.
10	Analyse specific problems and explain the relevant issues.

University Graduate Attributes

This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attribute(s) specified below:

University Graduate Attribute	Course Learning Outcome(s)
Attribute 1: Deep discipline knowledge and intellectual breadth Graduates have comprehensive knowledge and understanding of their subject area, the ability to engage with different traditions of thought, and the ability to apply their knowledge in practice including in multi-disciplinary or multi-professional contexts.	1-8
Attribute 2: Creative and critical thinking, and problem solving Graduates are effective problems-solvers, able to apply critical, creative and evidence-based thinking to conceive innovative responses to future challenges.	9
Attribute 3: Teamwork and communication skills Graduates convey ideas and information effectively to a range of audiences for a variety of purposes and contribute in a positive and collaborative manner to achieving common goals.	10
Attribute 8: Self-awareness and emotional intelligence Graduates are self-aware and reflective; they are flexible and resilient and have the capacity to accept and give constructive feedback; they act with integrity and take responsibility for their actions.	10

Learning Resources

Required Resources

Simpson K, Shepherd, R. Simpson’s Forensic Medicine. 13th Edition. Edward Arnold, 2011 (electronic book)

Prahlow, Joseph A and Byard, Roger W. Atlas of Forensic Pathology. 2012 (electronic book)

Springer, 2011.(available through the Adelaide University library)

Recommended Resources

Recommended textbooks (available through the Adelaide University library) are:

Byard RW. Sudden Death in the Young. 3rd Ed. Cambridge University Press. 2010.

Payne-James J, Byard RW. Encyclopedia of Forensic and Legal Medicine. 2nd ed. 4 Volumes. Academic Press, 2016.

Siegel JA, Knupfer GC, Saukko PJ. Encyclopedia of Forensic Sciences 3 Volumes. Academic Press, 2000, (also electronic).

Payne-James J, Busuttil A, Smock W. Forensic Medicine. Greenwich Medical Media , 2002.

Online Learning

There are a wide range of forensic orientated web sites:

American Academy of Forensic Sciences

National Association of Medical Examiners

National Board of Medical Examiners

National Institute of Forensic Science

Forensic Anthropology Centre, The University of Tennessee, United States. http://web.utk.edu/~anthrop?FACwhatis.html

The Society of Forensic Toxicologists

American Board of Forensic Odontology

Learning & Teaching Modes

Lecture sessions
There will be two pre-recorded lectures available via MyUni each week lasting for 40 to 50 minutes.

Lecture notes will be available in the weekly modules in MyUni.

If you do not understand any part of a lecture, do not hesitate to ask for clarification by emailing the course coordinator or the course assistant.

Lecture notes only aim to provide an outline of a topic. Further reading of a textbook is expected for you to gain wider and deeper knowledge and understanding.

Workload

The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.

Students are reminded that the overall workload for a full time student as stated in the 成人大片 Calendar is an average of 48 hours per week per teaching period (i.e. semester). This includes contact and noncontact hours and includes general study and research time for assignments.

Topics in Forensic Sciences is a 3 unit course and thus represents a quarter of a full time load. You should thus be putting in an average of 12 hours of study each week (including contact hours) for this course.

Each week you are expected to:

• watch lecture material
• work on assessments as outlined in the calender provided in MyUni
• read relevant sections of textbooks that relate to lecture and practical material, ensuring that you understand the information, and taking additional notes as necessary

Learning Activities Summary

Week	Topic	Lecture
Week 1	Intro and SIDS	Introduction – crime, injury, and death SIDS and natural sudden death in the young
Week 2	Injury	Injury – classification and overview Bombs, blasts and bullets
Week 3	Pathology	Forensic science – an overview Forensic pathology and changes after death
Week 4	Drowning Sexual Assault	Diving and Drowning An approach to sexual assault
Week 5	CSI Drugs	Crime scene investigation – a police perspective Clandestine laboratories and illicit drugs
Week 6	Historical Forensics Online Module	Historical Forensics Ballistics and Wounds and Courts and the legal System
Week 7	Burns Homicides, suicide and accidental death	Burns, hyperthermia and hypothermia Homicides, suicides and accidents in adults
Week 8	Sudden Adult death Asphyxia	Sudden natural death in adults Asphyxia
Week 9	Electrocution Toxicology	Electrocution Forensic toxicology
Week 10	Anthropology DNA	Forensic anthropology DNA and CSI
Week 11	Odontology DVI	Forensic odontology Disaster victim identification
Week 12	Death and Injury in the young Homicides, suicides and accidents	Unnatural deaths and injury in the young Homicides, Suicides and Accidents in Adults

Specific Course Requirements

None required.

The University's policy on Assessment for Coursework Programs is based on the following four principles:

Assessment must encourage and reinforce learning.
Assessment must enable robust and fair judgements about student performance.
Assessment practices must be fair and equitable to students and give them the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.
Assessment must maintain academic standards.

Assessment Summary

Assessment Task	Task Type	Due	Weighting	Learning Outcome
Initial Course Knowledge Quiz	Formative	N/A	0%	N/A
Practice Quiz	Formative	N/A	0%	N/A
Quiz 1	Summative	~end week 4	25%	1-10
Critical Paper Review	Summative	~end week 6	10%	1-10
Quiz 2	Summative	~end week 8	25%	1-10
Hypothetical Case Study	Summative	~start week 9	15%	1-10
Quiz 3	Summative	~end week 12	25%	1-10

The University's policy on Assessment for Coursework Programs is based on the following four principles:

Assessment must encourage and reinforce learning.
Assessment must enable robust and fair judgements about student performance.
Assessment practices must be fair and equitable to students and give them the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.
Assessment must maintain academic standards.

There are three online quizzes during the semester and they are worth 75% of the course. Quizzes are available over the period of 6 days and can be taken at any time during this period. They are "open book" which means that books, notes and other material can be used while completing the quiz and students can also do the quizzes in groups.

For the critical paper review students will be asked to choose one paper from 4 or 5 provided scientific papers. They will need to read their paper and respond to questions about it.

In the Hypothetical Case study students will be provided with a fictional case and asked to answer questions about the case and how it might be approached by investigators.

Assessment Related Requirements

In order to pass Topics in Forensic Science, students are required to achieve an overall grade of at least 50% for the course. Students not meeting this requirement will be awarded a fail grade.

Assessment Detail

The online quizzes and assignments will consist of questions in variable formats. Quiz 1, 2 and 3, the critical paper review, and the hypothetical case study will be available during the semester for the period of time outlined in the course timetable available on MyUni. Failure to submit the online assessments by the due date and time could result in you failing the assessment.

Please ensure that you have read the University’s Policy on Plagiarism. It is each student’s responsibility to read and follow the instructions distributed by the university, school and discipline, including course guides and those related to assessment tasks.

Submission

Students will be required to complete three quizzes, a critical paper review and a hypothetical case study during the course. These will be made available on MyUni at different times during the semester as specified in the course timetable. Assessments should be submitted by 5:00pm on the due date.

There will be no extensions given for quizzes unless you have filled out an official assessment extension application request form (available on the Examinations website - /student/exams/forms) and emailed it to the course coordinator for consideration.

Course Grading

Grades for your performance in this course will be awarded in accordance with the following scheme:

M10 (Coursework Mark Scheme)
Grade	Mark	Description
FNS		Fail No Submission
F	1-49	Fail
P	50-64	Pass
C	65-74	Credit
D	75-84	Distinction
HD	85-100	High Distinction
CN		Continuing
NFE		No Formal Examination
RP		Result Pending

Further details of the grades/results can be obtained from Examinations.

Grade Descriptors are available which provide a general guide to the standard of work that is expected at each grade level. More information at Assessment for Coursework Programs.

Final results for this course will be made available through .

Student Feedback

The University places a high priority on approaches to learning and teaching that enhance the student experience. Feedback is sought from students in a variety of ways including on-going engagement with staff, the use of online discussion boards and the use of Student Experience of Learning and Teaching (SELT) surveys as well as GOS surveys and Program reviews.

SELTs are an important source of information to inform individual teaching practice, decisions about teaching duties, and course and program curriculum design. They enable the University to assess how effectively its learning environments and teaching practices facilitate student engagement and learning outcomes. Under the current SELT Policy (http://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/101/) course SELTs are mandated and must be conducted at the conclusion of each term/semester/trimester for every course offering. Feedback on issues raised through course SELT surveys is made available to enrolled students through various resources (e.g. MyUni). In addition aggregated course SELT data is available.
Student Support
Policies & Guidelines
This section contains links to relevant assessment-related policies and guidelines - all university policies.
Fraud Awareness

Students are reminded that in order to maintain the academic integrity of all programs and courses, the university has a zero-tolerance approach to students offering money or significant value goods or services to any staff member who is involved in their teaching or assessment. Students offering lecturers or tutors or professional staff anything more than a small token of appreciation is totally unacceptable, in any circumstances. Staff members are obliged to report all such incidents to their supervisor/manager, who will refer them for action under the university's student鈥檚 disciplinary procedures.

The 成人大片 is committed to regular reviews of the courses and programs it offers to students. The 成人大片 therefore reserves the right to discontinue or vary programs and courses without notice. Please read the important information contained in the disclaimer.

Authorised by:	Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President (Academic)
Maintained by:	Course Outlines Administrator

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