Course

Unit 1: Introduction to Forensic ScienceIntroduction, History and Development of Forensic Science, Scope, Concepts and Significance of Forensic Science, Basic principles of Forensic Science, Branches of forensic science, Role of forensic science in criminal justice, Organizational set-up of a Forensic Science Laboratory, Basic principles of analytical chemistryUnit 2: Analysis Techniques in Forensic Science:Basic Principles: Microscopy, spectroscopy, chromatography-instrumentation &Forensic application Analytical Methods: Electrophoresis, Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA), Radioimmunoassay (RIA)-Forensic Application-Research Methodologies: Formation of research designs for specific problems, central tendency and dispersion, test of significance, analysis of variance, correlation and regression.Unit 3: Crime Scene Management and Evidence CollectionPrinciples of crime scene management,Types of crime scenes,Documentation and chain of custody,Chemistry Background:Introduction to chemical safety and protocols in crime scene management,Types of evidence (biological, chemical, physical),Techniques for evidence collection and preservation,Tools and equipment used at crime scenes,Chemistry Background: Chemical properties and reactions relevant to evidence collectionUnit 4: Forensic Photography and SketchingFundamentals of forensic photography, Techniques of black & white and color photography, Photogrammetry and 3D crime scene reconstruction; exposing, development and printing techniques; Crime scene sketching techniques; Different kinds of developers and fixers; UV, IR, fluorescence illumination guided photography; Modern development in photography- digital photography, working and basic principles of digital photography; Surveillance photography. Videography and Crime Scene & laboratory photography.Unit 5: Introduction to Forensic LaboratoryOverview of Forensic Laboratories; Safety Protocols in Forensic Laboratories; Introduction to Laboratory Equipment and Their Chemical Applications; Spectrophotometers, Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS), High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), DNA Sequencers

Textbook recommendations1.Bell, S. “Forensic Science: An Introduction to Scientific and Investigative Techniques”. CRC Press.2.Geberth, V. J. “Crime Scene Investigation: A Guide for Law Enforcement”. CRC Press.3.Saferstein, R. “Forensic Science: From the Crime Scene to the Crime Lab”. Prentice 4.Robinson, E. M. “Crime Scene Photography”. Academic Press.5.Byrd, J. E., & Cruse, A. M. “Forensic Science: Laboratory Manual and Workbook”. Pearson.