- Grading and Max Credits: Graduate Catalog Info GMS6352
Core Course
Credits: 3
Instructor: Dr. Lerah Sutton
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.
Objectives:
- Explain what the post mortem 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 |
Topic |
| Module 1 | Post Mortem 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 | Skeletonization, Saponification, and Mummification |
| Module 8 | Buried Bodies and Casper’s Dictum |
NEW for 2020: Artifacts of Decomposition Laboratory in-person, interactive elective course in Gainesville, Florida