The Science Behind Forensic Science (FutureLearn)

Offered by King's College London,
The Science Behind Forensic Science (FutureLearn)

Get an introduction to the science of forensic science and discover how it's applied in the real world. Discover the biology and chemistry behind forensic science. How does forensic science really work? How are scientific principles applied in crime scenes? Answer these questions and more with this course from the team who teach the longest-running forensic science programme of its type in England.

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On the course you will get an introduction to the chemistry and biology of forensic science. You will examine the methods used in forensic science and learn about how these technique are used in crime scenes and explained in the court room.

Syllabus

Week 1: Introduction to Forensic Science and The Crime Scene
Week 2: Forensic Biology
Week 3: Forensic Chemistry
Week 4: Evidence in the Court

What will you achieve?
By the end of the course, you'll be able to...

  • Demonstrate an understanding of how a crime scene is evaluated and some of the analytical techniques required for an analysis of the evidence.
  • Apply the chemistry knowledge acquired to approach the learning and understanding of more sophisticated techniques used in forensic science
  • Demonstrate an understanding of the genome that enables them to comprehend forensic DNA analysis
  • Demonstrate an appreciation of strengths and limitations of an adversarial judicial system in giving forensic evidence

Who is the course for?
This course is for anyone interested in discovering more about forensic science. It will be especially useful if you’re thinking of studying forensic science in the future or if you work in a field related to forensic science (for example law or the police force) and want to find out more.

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