MODULE 1 - FORENSIC ANTHROPOLOGY
This module provides an overview of forensic anthropology, including its historical evolution, role and scope within legal contexts, specialized domains within this discipline, anthropological techniques like skeletal analysis, and significance in resolving complex forensic cases.
MODULE 2 - FORENSIC ARCHAEOLOGY AND SCENE PROCESSING METHOD
In this module, you will learn about the historical development of forensic archaeology and the principles of forensic archaeology, focusing on the systematic approach to searching, recording, and applying archaeological theory and methods. The module also covers recovery methods, the importance of scene documentation, and the meticulous collection and packaging of evidence.
MODULE 3 - HUMAN OSTEOLOGY
This module focuses on human osteology, its history, principles, the classification of human bones and joints, bone composition, bone structure (gross and microscopy anatomy), bone growth, development, orientation, and anatomical terminology. You will also learn about the function of bones, methods of bone identification (axial and appendicular skeletons), the role of bones in identification and individualization, and the forensic significance of bones in solving legal cases through the meticulous analysis of skeletal remains.
MODULE 4 - SOMATOSCOPY
This module covers the tools and techniques employed in forensic anthropological measurement and somatoscopy observations, including the technique of portrait parlé, where facial features aid in identification. The module then explores the examination of various other body parts like body posture, neck, abdomen, upper and lower extremities, hands, fingers, fingernails, feet, toes, and toenails.
MODULE 5 - SOMATOMETRY
In this module, you will learn about the anthropometric measurement technique, somatometry, focusing on the identification of landmarks crucial for precise measurements. The module covers a detailed know-how of somatometric measurements, including height, frontal trunk, upper and lower extremities, girth, skin fold, and head measurements, each providing valuable data for forensic analysis. The role of indices in assessing proportions and relationships between different body dimensions is also discussed.
MODULE 6 - OSTEOMETRY
This module introduces you to osteometry, a technique used for forensic anthropological measurement. It covers various methods of measurement, including skeletal elements such as the sternum, ribs, vertebrae, clavicle, scapula, humerus, radius, ulna, hand, pelvis, sacrum, hip bone, femur, patella, tibia, fibula, and foot.
MODULE 7 - CRANIOMETRY
This module explores the role of craniometric measurement in forensic anthropology and outlines craniometric landmarks and measurement techniques. It includes neurocranium (length, breadth, height, and circumference measurement), planchonocranium (length, breadth, and height measurement), skull as a whole (measurement of orbit, nasal region, upper jaw and pallate, lower jaw and mandible, angles, volume, and weight), indices, and craniographic techniques (sagittal, frontal, and horizontal curves, and craniographic measurement).
MODULE 8 - INDIVIDUALIZATION THROUGH BONES
In this module, you will learn about the medico-legal importance of identity and the role of forensic anthropology in identifying both the living and the deceased. The module explores the methods of identifying the dead covering aspects, such as determining origin (human or non-human) and sex determination (general appearance, skull, mandible, pelvis, sacrum, sternum, ribs, thoracic bones, vertebral column, femur, and scapula).
The concept of age estimation, including feotus, teeth, and bones (ossification center and suture), and the medico-legal significance of determining age within a forensic context along with race, stature, and facial reconstruction are also covered.
MODULE 9 - ESTIMATION OF ANCESTARY
This module covers the principles and methodologies of forensic anthropology, with a focus on:
Morphoscopic (non-metric) involves the visual assessment of skeletal features.
Craniometric analysis involves precise measurements of the skull, thereby providing quantitative data for forensic examinations.
Post-cranial methods include the analysis of skeletal elements apart from the skull to assist in understanding individual characteristics.
These techniques help in in-depth analysis for the identification and profiling of individuals in medico-legal contexts.
MODULE 10 - FIELDS METHODS
This module provides an overview of the forensic anthropology process, the importance of preplanning for fieldwork, the significance of ante-mortem information, the need for meticulous preparation before excavation and disinterment (exposure, processing, and recording of archeological remains), burial location and scene investigation, burial classification, and the procedures of excavation and exhumation.
You will then learn about post-mortem interval and forensic taphonomy, covering immediate post-mortem changes and the process of decomposition, along with the need for quality checks for fieldwork to ensure the precision and reliability of forensic anthropology investigations in legal contexts.
MODULE 11 - LAB PROCEDURE AND REPORTING
In this module, you will learn about the setting, preparation, and restoration processes in forensic anthropology, the distinctions and approaches in handling archaeological bone, forensic bone, and fossilized bone, restoration and preservation of skeletal remains, metric acquisition and analysis using traditional osteometric tools for precise measurements during forensic investigations, and the analysis of skeletal remains in legal investigations.
