Unit Outline

Forensic science is an integral component of the criminal justice system with applications in investigations, intelligence, courts, and disaster victim identification. However, it has been the subject of international critiques and a factor in high-profile cases of wrongful conviction. This unit examines forensic science as the object of study from a critical social sciences perspective. It highlights some pervasive issues such as the development of forensic science and limited foundational research, the challenges of communication to non-scientists, and the potential human rights issues associated with ongoing scientific advancements. The unit examines innovative research and practice that can contribute to addressing these complex and nuanced issues. It considers the potential for, and next steps in, the development of a critical social science approach to the role of forensic science in and beyond the criminal justice system. It incorporates an opportunity to explore a topic of personal interest and organisational relevance in more depth.

Intended Learning Outcomes

As per the Assessment and Results Policy 1.3, your results will reflect your achievement against specified learning outcomes.

On completion of this unit, you will be able to:


1	Assess the strengths and weaknesses of diverse forensic disciplines, techniques and roles in the context of criminal investigations and court processes.
2	Analyse the social processes involved in the collection, analysis and use of forensic traces from crime scenes to courts (i.e., the forensic process), including the investigative process.
3	Critically evaluate and articulate your own position on key debates surrounding the use of forensic evidence in the criminal justice field.
4	Communicate complex ideas in written and verbal forms.

Alterations as a result of student feedback

We have received positive feedback on the overall content and the availability of topic selection in negotiation with the unit coordinator. The set-up of the unit allows for insights into the views of other students from a larger group and this has also been noted as an unexpected but positive feature. Therefore, we have retained this feature of the unit.

How will I be Assessed?

For more detailed assessment information please see MyLO.

Assessment schedule


ASSESSMENT TASK #	ASSESSMENT TASK NAME	DATE DUE	WEIGHT	LINKS TO INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES
Assessment Task 1:	Topic proposal	Week 3	10 %	LO1
Assessment Task 2:	Topic outline essay	Week 8	30 %	LO1, LO2, LO4
Assessment Task 3:	Essay	Week 13	50 %	LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4
Assessment Task 4:	Discussion participation	Refer to Assessment Description	10 %	LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4

Assessment details

Assessment Task 1: Topic proposal

Task Description:

Develop a topic of your own within the scope of the unit, which takes a critical social sciences perspective to examine the use of forensic science in the criminal justice system. You may have a topic of interest in mind related to your workplace or to an aspect of forensic science that has been controversial in recent years. In your topic proposal, briefly outline the topic, some issues associated with it (noting some relevant references), and what your essay aims to address.

The topic proposal provides an opportunity for you to develop and negotiate a topic with the unit coordinator. Therefore, please contact the unit coordinator to clarify your ideas. You are welcome to discuss the topic by email or make contact by email and arrange a time to discuss the topic via phone, Teams, or Zoom.

Task Length:

200 words

Due Date:

Week 3 (06/Aug/2025)

Weight:

10 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Explain social processes that impact the effective application of forensic science to justice.	LO1

Assessment Task 2: Topic outline essay

Task Description:

This task builds on your task proposal by providing an early draft of your essay. It should include:
• An introduction that outlines the topic/problem and the proposed structure of the essay.
• Information about the forensic discipline/s that will be necessary for the reader to understand the analysis that follows (within the relevant policing context).
• evidence of the development of a preliminary argument and use of relevant references. (This can be foreshadowed in the introduction and by the way that each paragraph contributes to the topic.)
• You may wish to include headings of planned sections and bullet points of ideas that you will expand on later.

Task Length:

1500 words

Due Date:

Week 8 (17/Sep/2025)

Weight:

30 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Explain specific forensic roles or techniques and limitations as relevant to your topic.	LO1
2	Analyse social processes that impact the effective application of forensic science to justice.	LO2
3	Develop a preliminary argument, informed by unit materials from early weeks.	LO4

Assessment Task 3: Essay

Task Description:

This task builds on your first two tasks. Further develop your topic to assess the strengths and weaknesses of the forensic roles, techniques, or processes under examination. Critically analyse your topic, informed by a critical social sciences perspective and relevant research. Use feedback from your topic outline essay, unit reading and discussions, and broader reading beyond the unit material to develop your argument.

Task Length:

5000 words

Due Date:

Week 13 (22/Oct/2025)

Weight:

50 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Assess the strengths and weaknesses of forensic roles and techniques in context.	LO1
2	Analyse social processes that impact the effective application of forensic science to justice in relation to your topic using relevant research.	LO2
3	Critically evaluate the use of forensic science in the criminal justice process.	LO3
4	Develop an argument that is communicated clearly and articulates a position on key debates on the use of forensic science in the criminal justice process.	LO4

Assessment Task 4: Discussion participation

Task Description:

In weekly online discussions, we will discuss key debates in forensic science. We will apply a critical social sciences perspective to responding to these debates. Prepare for discussions by viewing the lecture videos and reading assigned materials, as indicated on MyLO. Contribute questions and ideas to discussions. Through your comments, demonstrate that you are engaging with unit materials and thinking critically about the issues.

Task Length:

tutorial discussion participation

Due Date:

Refer to Assessment Description

Weight:

10 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Assess the strengths and weaknesses of various aspects of forensic science in context.	LO1
2	Analyse social processes involved in forensic science in the criminal justice process.	LO2
3	Critically evaluate and articulate your own position on key debates surrounding the use of forensic evidence in the criminal justice field.	LO3
4	Communicate in verbal form about key debates in forensic science.	LO4

How your final result is determined

To pass this unit, you need to demonstrate your attainment of each of the Intended Learning Outcomes, achieve a final unit grade of 50% or greater, and pass any hurdle tasks.

Academic progress review

The results for this unit may be included in a review of your academic progress. For information about progress reviews and what they mean for all students, see Academic Progress Review in the Student Portal.

Submission of assignments

Where practicable, assignments should be submitted to an assignment submission folder in MYLO. You must submit assignments by the due date or receive a penalty (unless an extension of time has been approved by the Unit Coordinator). Students submitting any assignment in hard copy, or because of a practicum finalisation, must attach a student cover sheet and signed declaration for the submission to be accepted for marking.

Academic integrity

Academic integrity is about acting responsibly, honestly, ethically, and collegially when using, producing, and communicating information with other students and staff members.

In written work, you must correctly reference the work of others to maintain academic integrity. To find out the referencing style for this unit, see the assessment information in the MyLO site, or contact your teaching staff. For more detail about Academic Integrity, see Important Guidelines & Support.

Requests for extensions

If you are unable to submit an assessment task by the due date, you should apply for an extension.

A request for an extension should first be discussed with your Unit Coordinator or teaching support team where possible. A request for an extension must be submitted by the assessment due date, except where you can provide evidence it was not possible to do so. Typically, an application for an extension will be supported by documentary evidence: however, where it is not possible for you to provide evidence please contact your Unit Coordinator.

The Unit Coordinator must notify you of the outcome of an extension request within 3 working days of receiving the request.

Late penalties

Assignments submitted after the deadline will receive a late penalty of 5% of the original available mark for each calendar day (or part day) that the assignment is late. Late submissions will not be accepted more than 10 calendar days after the due date, or after assignments have been returned to other students on a scheduled date, whichever occurs first. Further information on Late Penalties can be found on the Assessments and Results Procedure.

Required Resources

Required reading materials

Julian, R., Howes, L., & White, R. (2022). Critical forensic studies. Routledge.

The UTAS Library provides this resource as an ebook. Where possible, it can be helpful to have a copy of the unit textbook on hand, as we will use it each week.

Additional weekly readings are linked to the unit via the Reading List.