| Unit name | Introduction to Forensic Anthropology |
|---|---|
| Unit code | ARCH30039 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | H/6 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) |
| Unit director | Dr. Brimacombe |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you may not take alongside this one |
None |
| School/department | Department of Anthropology and Archaeology |
| Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
This third year unit sets forth the approaches and techniques used by osteologists studying past populations, with attention to the identification and mensuration of skeletal remains. Classes including practical demonstrations and completion of assignments give students the ability to recognise special characteristics of skeletal remains and appreciate the implications of these for the understanding of past populations.
At the end of this unit, a successful student will be able to:
1) Identify human bones and assemble them in correct anatomical position
2) Describe the main features of the bone biology, and the implications of this quality of preservation in the archaeological record.
3) Correctly sex an individual from skeletal evidence alone, where possible
4) Correctly age an individual from skeletal evidence alone, where possible
5) Discuss the major categories of quantitative skeletal traits, how they are measured and how they contribute to our understanding of past population biology.
6)Discuss the major categories of bone and dental pathology, how these relate to clinical disease, and how these may be interpreted to inform us of health, palaeoepidemiology and past activity.
7) Write a bone report
8) Describe current UK regulations for the treatment and handling of human remains, and discuss these within the context of more general ethical issues.
weekly Lectures and Seminars
1 in-class spot-test (50%) Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs) 1,3,4,5,6
1 3,000 word report (50%) ILOs 1-8
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. ARCH30039).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the Faculty workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. If you have self-certificated your absence from an
assessment, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (this is usually in the next assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any extenuating circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
