GMS6352
Core Course
Credits: 3
This course will describe each of the main artifacts of decomposition that can be utilized to estimate the post mortem interval. Both biological and non-biological methods will be discussed, with a specific focus on the strengths and weaknesses of each method.
Course Objectives:
- Explain what the postmortem interval is and how it can be calculated
- Identify and explain all the major artifacts of decomposition
- Understand the strengths and weaknesses of each PMI estimation method
- Distinguish between biological and non-biological PMI estimations
- Explain how and why bodies eventually end up in 1 of 3 conditions after death
Topics:
- Module 1: Postmortem Interval Estimation – Strengths, Weaknesses, and Techniques
- Module 2: Algor Mortis and Other Temperature Based Methods
- Module 3: Rigor Mortis, Livor Mortis, and Other Muscle and Tissue Changes
- Module 4: Putrefaction and Autolysis
- Module 5: Other Biological Based Methods
- Module 6: Forensic Entomology and Botany
- Module 7: Skeletonizations, Saponification, and Mummification
- Module 8: Buried Bodies and Casper’s Dictum
You may also be interested in: Artifacts of Decomposition Laboratory in-person, interactive elective course