Dr. Drew Reams Page 7 01/13/15
BIO 150 Lecture Syllabus Spring 2015
CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, SACRAMENTO
Department of Biological Sciences
BIO 150: Forensic Biology
LECTURE: M/W (2-2:50) 338 Sequoia Hall
LABS: Friday at various times, 220 Humboldt Hall
Instructor: Dr. Drew Reams
Email:
Office Hours: 120-C Sequoia Hall
Mondays & Wednesdays 3-4:30pm or by appointment
Research Focus: Genetics
Research Lab: 14-C Sequoia Hall
Required Texts: Murder and Molecules: A Laboratory Manual for Forensic Serology and DNA, Ballard and Spear, 2015 (Hornet Bookstore)
The Blooding, Joseph Wambaugh (available on Amazon.com and at local bookstores)
Recommended Texts: Forensic Biology, Richard Li, 2008 (Hornet Bookstore)
Required for Lab: $25 lab fee; Lab coat; Camera or cell phone
Online Class Materials: Posted on SacCT (check frequently for new materials)
Website: http://webpages.csus.edu/~andrew.reams
Prerequisites: Bio 1, Bio 2, and Bio 184 (Genetics). Equivalent courses at other institutions accepted.
COURSE DESCRIPTION
BIO 150. Forensic Biology. Principles governing the application of biology to solve crimes. Topics include:(1) the structure and administration of the modern crime laboratory (2) the role of the forensic biologist and other personnel in crime scene investigations and in the legal process (3) evidence collection, documentation, examination and preservation (4) the use of alternative light sources and serological tests to detect biological stains on crime scene evidence (5) microscopy for the analysis of sexual assault evidence and hair (6) extraction and quantification of human DNA (6) generation of mitochondrial and nuclear DNA profiles, and (7) interpretation of DNA evidence. Lecture two hours; laboratory three hours. Offered spring only. 3 units.
WHAT IS A FORENSIC BIOLOGIST?
Welcome to the world of the criminalist – a scientist who uses his or her scientific skills and training to help law enforcement and the courts solve crimes and resolve other types of legal issues. Criminalists have many roles and specialties in crime labs. Criminalists with degrees in chemistry may help solve crimes that require chemical analyses for toxins, accelerants, or illegal drugs. Criminalists with degrees in physics (and some other degrees) may help identify tool mark impressions, analyze the flight path of a bullet, or analyze blood spatter patterns. Criminalists with degrees in the biological sciences spend most of their time looking for biological materials on crime scene evidence and performing DNA analyses. It is this latter group – the forensic biologists – that we will focus on in this class, examining in depth the tools and techniques these specialists use to help the courts exonerate the innocent and convict the guilty, thereby building a safer and more just society.
According to the U.S. Department of Labor (http://www.bls.gov), the job market for forensic scientists will be much better in the next several years than for most other science technicians with B.S. degrees. The passage of Proposition 69 in California, in particular, will open up many new jobs for forensic biologists in the coming years in this state alone. Moreover, the starting salary for criminalists is the third highest among all science technicians and quickly increases after one year of employment in most government crime labs. Finally, criminalists at many government agencies enjoy the same excellent benefits as law enforcement personnel because they are considered to be part of the law-enforcement work force.
Criminalists have fascinating jobs that require them to solve complex scientific puzzles on a daily basis. No crime is the same as any other, and the criminalist must identify the most probative evidence, analyze it using appropriate procedures, generate a report, and answer questions about his/her work in court. Criminalists need to have excellent written and verbal communication skills, be honest and objective about their findings, and hold to the highest ethical values in all the work they do. It is a wonderful profession for someone who wants to feel that their work makes a difference in people’s lives, who loves solving scientific puzzles, and who wants to help build a safer society.
Does that describe you? If so, this course will provide you with a comprehensive introduction to the profession and help you decide if the career is a good match for your interests and natural talents. If not, the course will (hopefully) be a fun and eye-opening introduction to the real world of forensic science – not the forensic science you see on CSI, Bones, and other television shows that are rich in entertainment but seriously flawed in their representation of how real forensic science is done!
Whatever your reason for taking this class, I invite you to join me on the journey and allow me to lead you into a fascinating world that is rarely seen by persons outside of crime labs. If you like this course and want to pursue forensic biology as a career, please come see me and we can discuss enrolling you in the Forensic Biology concentration. The courses required in the concentration at Sacramento State are specifically designed to prepare you to compete effectively for criminalist jobs upon graduation or to gain entrance to graduate programs in forensic science that will provide you with further preparation for the job market.
Let's get started!
COURSE POLICIES
I. EVALUATION OF STUDENT PERFORMANCE
Students may earn up to 600 points as follows:
Lecture Exams (2 @ 100 pts each) 200
Final Exam 100
Crime Map (one per lab pair) 20
Lab Quizzes (12 @ 10 pts each; drop 2 lowest scores) 100
Homework (5 @ 3 pts each) 15
Case Files (2 @ 30 pts each) 60
Participation 5
Lab Practical Exam (open Case File) 100
===
TOTAL 600
Lecture Exams:
Three lecture exams will be given, two exams and a final. The tests will be a combination of short-answer, fill-in-the-blank, multiple choice, and true or false (where if the statement is false you must change the underlined word to convert it into a true statement). All exam questions will pull from the materials presented and discussed in lecture. Study Guides and Lecture Homework will be provided before exams. Homework assignments give students the opportunity to apply the concepts they are learning in lecture to real-world forensic casework problems and scenarios. Homework will not be collected or graded, but will bolster the study guides and serve as practice for the exams. These tests are non-cumulative. You will be given 50 minutes to complete the two exams and 2 hours for the final. You will need to bring a pencil and calculator.
Laboratory Quizzes:
Lab quizzes will be administered during the first 10 minutes of lab. Students will be allowed exactly 10 minutes to take the exam and those who arrive late to lab will not be given additional time. (There will be no quiz on the first day of lab.) You will need to bring a pencil, a calculator, and a Scantron (Form 882-E).
Case Files:
Students will be required to submit two Case Files during the course of the semester. Submission requirements will be provided well in advance of the due dates.
Lab Practical Exam:
There will be one Lab Practical (given the week before finals). In the exam, you will be asked to identify and answer questions about various items, reagents, data, etc. that you encountered in lab. Please note that due to the amount of work involved in setting up and taking down a lab practical exam, students will NOT be allowed to “make-up” the Lab Practical Exam. If a student must miss the Lab Practical, acceptable documentation of an illness or another emergency will be required and the student will be administered a separate paper exam to make up the points. Lab exam questions will be a mix of short answer, drawings, calculations, etc. You will need to bring a pencil and calculator with you to the lab practical exam. You will not need a Scantron.
Calculation of Grades:
At the end of the semester, points from all assignments will be totaled and grades will be assigned as follows:
90.0 - 100% = A
80.0 - 89.9% = B
70.0 - 79.9% = C
60.0 - 69.9% = D
less than 60% = F
Plus and minus grades will be assigned as appropriate.
II. STUDENT CONDUCT
A. Lecture
Lecture is a “technology free” zone. Students are required to turn off or silence all electronic devices (including cell phones, laptops, iPods, etc.) during class. I will use PowerPoint and students will be able to download these slides before coming to class. If you wish to record my lectures, I will permit it, but you must remember to pick up your recording device at the end of the class period.
Exams:
No communication is permitted between students during exams. No materials other than a pencil and a simple calculator (NOT one associated with a cell phone or other sophisticated electronic device that might contain other data), may be used during an exam.
Students may not leave the room during an exam. Lecture periods are only 50 minutes long and I expect you to use the bathroom before coming to class. If you have a medical condition that does not allow you to sit through a 50-minute exam, please arrange to take the exam at the testing center. Students may opt to use the bathroom during the final exam but will be required to leave all personal belongings in the classroom and return to the classroom promptly. If I obtain evidence of cheating on any quiz or exam, I will report the incident to the Department Chair and the Dean of Students for immediate disciplinary action.
B. Laboratory:
Roll will be taken in lab and students who miss more than two lab sessions – regardless of the reason - will be assigned a either a "F" or “WU” grade in the course. Students must follow all laboratory safety rules (see the Murder and Molecules laboratory manual) and come to lab prepared and ready to work safely and efficiently.
Laboratory Quizzes:
No communication is permitted between students during the quizzes.
Lab Practical Exam:
Students may refer to their Case Files during the practical exam but not to the lab manual or any other materials.
Special Considerations for Case Files:
Students are strongly encouraged to study in groups and to freely discuss the content of their Case Files. However, students must write up their case files in their own words. If I receive two case files that contain identical wording that has clearly been copied, both assignments will be given a grade of zero. If the pattern continues, I will refer the students involved to the Dean of Students for disciplinary action.
The University policy on academic dishonesty can be reviewed at the following web link: http://www.csus.edu/umanual/AcademicHonestyPolicyandProcedures.htm. If you have never read this policy, take the opportunity to do so because it will help you avoid inadvertently engaging in plagiarism or other forms of academic dishonesty in all of your classes, not just this one.
III. COMMUNICATION WITH THE INSTRUCTOR OUTSIDE OF CLASS
I will communicate with you through My Sac State. Be sure to check your CSUS e-mail regularly, especially if you do not use it as your primary e-mail address. Students should communicate with me via e-mail rather than by telephone, using the e-mail address provided on the first page of this syllabus.
IV. ADD/DROP POLICY
The Add/Drop policy will be followed per University policy. If you have questions about this policy, please e-mail me. Students who are registered into the class and do not attend lecture and lab for the first week will be administratively dropped from the course. Students who stop attending lecture or lab after the official drop deadline, and do not follow proper procedures to do so, will be assigned a grade of “WU” (unauthorized withdrawal) or "F" (depending on whether the student stops attending early or late in the semester). A “WU” grade is calculated as an “F” grade in your GPA, so make every effort to avoid earning one!
Drops during finals week are not permitted for any reason. Students with an emergency during this time can request to be assigned a grade of “I (Incomplete) and must make up the missed assignments/exams within 12 months or the “I” grade will automatically become an “F”. A special form is required to request an “I” grade. The form can be obtained from the Biological Sciences Department office (SQU 202) and must be completed and signed by both the student and the instructor. Earning an "I" grade is not a right; you must be able to convince me that there is serious and compelling reason why you legitimately need extra time to complete the course.
V. HOW TO SUCCEED IN THIS CLASS
1. Attend lecture and lab every class session and start this practice early in the semester! Research shows that students who get behind during the first 3-4 weeks of class are rarely able to catch up. Always attend lab unless you are sick or have another emergency. Missing one or more lab sections will put you at a serious disadvantage compared to other students in the class. Expect to stay in lab for the entire 3-hour lab period. We will use every minute of it on most lab days!
2. Review the PowerPoint lectures and pertinent sections of the textbook before coming to class. If you have already read through the material before you hear it in lecture, you will be better prepared to ask questions and gain clarification on any topics from the readings that you did not understand.