Course Descriptions

Forensic pathology is the foundation of forensic medicine and deals with the study of the cause and manner of death by examination of a dead body during the medico-legal investigation of death in criminal and civil law cases in some jurisdictions. The course is designed to provide students with the principles and basic knowledge of forensic pathology practice in the US and around the world. It provides the core for the curriculum and is a pre-requisite for all the other courses. The elements include the medico-legal death investigation system in the United States and China, the categories of medico-legal cases; the objectives of medico-legal investigation; the concept of cause and manner of death, common types of injuries associated with deaths; investigation of sudden unexpected deaths, the role of forensic pathology in criminal justice, public health and safety, and pattern of various trauma. The course is given by lectures, seminars, laboratory, and by some pre-recorded study lectures, and computer/online.

Forensic autopsy is a key procedure required in all medico-legal cases to identify the cause of death, especially in questionable cases. Forensic autopsy, or post-mortem examination as it is often called, is conducted to identify any deviation from normal anatomy. These variances from normal include diseases and injuries and help determine: 1) the cause of death, 2) the mechanism of death and 3) the manner of death of the victim in question. This course is designed to teach students of (a) the characteristics of forensic autopsy findings of common types of injuries, such as firearm injuries, sharp force and blunt force injuries, transportation related injuries, etc.; Common natural diseases associated with sudden unexpected deaths; and Drug related deaths; (b) tissue selection for histological processing and special studies; and obtaining specimens for biological and toxicological analysis. The course of forensic autopsy is given by autopsy observation, morning and afternoon case presentation with discussion, and histology laboratory training.

Medico-legal death scene investigation is often critical in the final determination of the manner of death, documenting observations and collecting physical and trace evidence from death scenes that include homicides, suicides, accidents or natural deaths. The course is designed to show students how to conduct scientific, systematic and thorough death scene investigation for medical examiner and coroner offices; how to obtain essential facts regarding the death scene, medical history, and social history. The course is given by lectures, case presentation with discussion, and death scene visits with forensic investigators.

Criminal law is the body of law that defines criminal offenses, regulates the apprehension, charging, and trial of suspected persons, and fixes penalties and modes of treatment applicable to convicted offenders. This course is designed to provide an overview of criminal law offenses, criminal law procedures, issues of evidence recovery, admissibility of scientific evidence, and expert testimony, with an emphasis on the interaction between the criminal process and forensic science. The course will be given by using a mixture of online lectures, readings, discussions, and student participation in moot court exercises. 

Lectures and laboratories are used to present the major subdivisions of general pathology: cellular adaptations, tissue injury and renewal, neoplasia, environmental and nutritional pathology, and pediatric disorders.

Offered fall semesters only.

Detailed in this course are disease entities and disease processes of the following organ systems: cardiovascular; respiratory; gastrointestinal; liver; pancreas; head and neck; renal; male and female reproductive; breast; endocrine; skin; bone; peripheral nervous system, central nervous system, and eye. Instruction is by lecture, laboratory, and computer.

Offered spring semesters only.

Lectures include discussion of principles underlying forensic and clinical toxicology, mechanism of action of drugs and other poisons, methods of detection and quantitation of drugs and poisons in tissues and body fluids, and interpretation of analytical procedures for the detection and estimation of drugs and chemicals in biological samples. Prerequisites: organic chemistry, physical chemistry, quantitative analysis, and calculus.

This course is designed to provide graduate learners the opportunity to develop skills in both accessing relevant online library resources and engage in scholarly writing. The portion of the course focusing on library resources teach and strengthen lifelong research and information competency skills by introducing student to the nature of research and the role of library in the research process. Students learn the core concepts of information retrieval and essential techniques for finding, evaluating, analyzing, organizing, and presenting information. The topics covered include: using online catalogs to locate books and other library resources; developing research strategies; exercising critical thinking to evaluate information; applying critical and search techniques to electronic databases; understanding citation formats and using the internet as a research tool. The scholarly writing of the course will place emphasis on organization, effective conveyance of thoughts through written words, and writing for multiple types of audiences. Students will have the opportunity to improve both their academic writing and their research skills as they write a literature review or a proposal. Emphasis is placed on conventions of scholarly writing and organizational strategies as well as grammar, editing, and usage.

Offered - 1st 8 week session of Fall semester. Second year students will enroll in MHS 600 starting in Fall A 2021.

Forensic toxicology laboratory provides students with basic analytical methods to detect drugs and chemicals in biological samples. Students also learn the procedures of sample collection, storage and testing result analysis. The course is given by case presentation with discussion and observation at forensic toxicology laboratory.

Homicide Evidence Seminar will explore medicolegal death investigation and basic techniques in forensic medicine and forensic science. The week-long seminar provides students with training in all aspects of death investigation. The seminar will focus on the study of evidence collection during homicide investigation. The course of homicide evidence will be given by in-class/online lectures and by studying miniature death scenes. Our students will have a chance to work with detectives and medical examiners to record evidence they think would have medical importance to explain the cause and manner of death. The instructors will be forensic pathologists and forensic evidence experts. Students will be assigned miniature death scene cases to study each case individually and then have a group presentation and discussion.   

Image technologies are powerful tools in forensic sciences. The course is designed to teach students the basic radiology technologies, including postmortem x-ray and CT scan operations and postmortem radiology case studies. The course is given by lectures and case presentation with discussion.

Forensic odontology is involved in assisting investigative agencies in the identification of whole or fragmented recovered human remains. This course is designed to teach students the basic skills to determine the age and race of unidentified human remains by comparison of antemortem and postmortem dental records and use of the unique features visible on dental radiographs. Students also learn how to do the assessment of bite mark injuries and the source of bite mark injuries in cases of assault or suspected abuse. Forensic anthropology is the application of the science of anthropology in criminal investigation where the victim's remains are in the advanced stages of decomposition, severely burned, mutilated, or otherwise unrecognizable. The course is designed to teach students the basic anthropological techniques and analysis to assess the age, gender, race, stature, and evidence for estimation of postmortem interval of the individual, as well as if the individual sustained any trauma or disease prior to or at time of death. The combined course is given by lectures and laboratory case studies.

This course focuses on the use of scientific evidence in litigation, admissibility of expert testimony and use of scientific information in regulatory matters. The course will cover legal standards for the admissibility of scientific evidence as well as basic principles of science and the scientific method which are relevant to legal decision-making in regulatory contexts. Examples will be drawn from diverse disciplines, including medicine, epidemiology, biotechnology, and statistics. No prior knowledge of scientific or statistical methods is necessary.