Jeannette City School District

CSI Course Syllabus

2016 – 2017 School Year

Jeannette City School District

Jeannette Senior High School

Ms. Deiseroth

Room 204

Prerequisite:Two Credits of High School Science

Course Purpose:This is a half credit,semester course that is a continuation of forensic science. This course is designed to provide the student with a basic understanding of the application of science to real world forensics.

Grading:Quartile grades will be determined out of the percentage earned each nine weeks according to the district grading scale and science grading category breakdown. Final Grades will be calculated as follows: Third Quartile – 40%, Fourth Quartile – 40%, Final 20%. Please make arrangements with me if you need extra help. A weekly schedule is listed on the school website with links to assignments at

District Grading Scale

93% - 100% A

84% - 92% B

73% - 83% C

65% - 72% D

<65% F

Science Grading Category Breakdown

Homework – 10%

Classroom Participation – 10%

Writing – 5%

Projects/Labs/Case Studies – 25%

Quizzes – 10%

Exams – 40%

School Wide Assignment Information

• Incompletes due to absences must be completed within 10 school days from the end of the quartile that is incomplete or the grade will be a zero
• All tests/quizzes should contain the Academic Integrity statement for students to sign

“I have not given or received any unauthorized assistance on this assignment/examination.” (Student Signature)

• All typed assignments must be submitted with MLA formatted heading (this is not “graded,” but it is necessary to be accepted)
• Students should SIGN their name to all work, not print (must be accurate cursive writing, not “doctor’s signature”)
• All student answers on tests and collected work should restate the question within the answer, not just write in complete sentence

Example: What color dress was Sara wearing?

Wrong answer:red

Wrong answer: It was red.

Wrong answer: She was wearing a red dress.

Correct answer: Sara was wearing a red dress.

Classroom Late Work Policy

ASSIGNMENT TYPE / on time / late 1 day / late >1 day
small ticket items
(assignments you will go over in class the next day and provide answers) / full credit / no credit / N/A
big ticket items
(assignments that you need to check for formative assessment purposes) / full credit / ½ credit / no credit
projects, essays, labs, etc / full credit / 1 day late -10% off earned grade
2 days late -20% off earned grade
3 days late -30% off earned grade
>3 days late NO credit (assignment must
be completed in library EP
and student will be placed
on restrictions list)

Absence Make Up Policy

All make up work must be initiated by the student. The number of days absent will be the number of days allotted to turn in make up work (not to exceed 5 days). For example, if you are absent for three days, you have 3 days to submit your make up work upon return. For example, if you are absent for seven days, you have 5 days to submit your make up work upon return. If the absence is due to out of school suspension make up work is due upon return.

Assessments: Students will be assessed in several ways including but not limited to notebook checks, quizzes, exams, laboratories, homework, class activities, internet activities, research, projects, and a final exam.

Students are suggested to keep a 3 Ring Binder for this course.

The following units will be covered in this course.

Unit 1: Drugs and Paraphernalia

Dependence and Abuse

Narcotic Drugs

Hallucinogens

Depressants

Stimulants

Drug-Control Laws

Drug Schedules

Unit 2: Chemical Analysis

Drug Identification

Theory of Chromatography

Thin-Layer Chromatography (TLC)

Color Test

Microcrystalline Test

Qualitative Analysis

Instrumental Analysis

Spectrophotometry

Mass Spectrometry

Spectrographic Analyzer

Automation

Unit 3: Bodies and Autopsies

Identifying Dead Bodies

Reconstructing the Unidentified (Medial Imposition)

The Coroner

Determining Cause of Death

In Home Deaths

Crime Scene Deaths

Vehicular Accidents

What Warrants an Autopsy?

Autopsies

Dress

External Examination

Disection of the Main Trunk

The Organs

Running the Gut

Removing the Brain

Closing Up

Autopsy Report

Unit 4: DNA and Typing

What Is DNA?

Base Pairs

VNTR

Forensic DNA Testing

RFLP (Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism)

PCR (Polymorphism Chain Reaction)

STR (Short Tandem Repeat) or SSR (Simple Sequence Repeats)

mtDNA (Mitochondrial DNA)

DNA Testing-At a Glance

CODIS

Matching DNA Tests

Reading DNA Tests