This guide is intended to provide information for prospective students. Enrolled students will find the necessary course information and resources on the appropriate Blackboard site

This module guide is intended to provide an introduction to this module. In it you will find the aims and objectives of the module, a detailed syllabus, information on when and where the class will meet, details of how your performance in the module will be assessed and the assignments which form part of the module. The module guide should be read along with the Standard Course Requirements Booklet.

• Staff
• Introduction to Module
• Aims & objectives
• Teaching Arrangements
• Recommended Texts
• Detailed Syllabus
• Assessment
• Difficulties & Feedback
• Appendix 1: Academic Dishonesty & Plagiarism
• Appendix 2:Typical Programme Schedule (PDF format) (subject to change)
• Appendix 3: Assignment Submission Form (PDF format)
• Appendix 4: Standard University Reporting Scale (PDF format)

STAFF

Course Organiser: Dr David Sadler, whose offices are located in
the Centre for Forensic and Legal Medicine, Small's Wynd, University of Dundee,
telephone (01382) 348020.
A secretary is always available to take a message or arrange an appointment.
There is an answerphone outside normal office hours so that a message may be left.
Contact by e-mail:d.w.sadler@dundee.ac.uk

Lecturer: Professor Derrick Pounder, whose offices are located in
the Centre for Forensic and Legal Medicine, Small's Wynd, University of Dundee,
telephone (01382) 348020.
A secretary is always available to take a message or arrange an appointment.
There is an answerphone outside normal office hours so that a message may be left.
Contact by e-mail:d.j.pounder@dundee.ac.uk

INTRODUCTION

This is an optional course for LLB honours students. The course stands alone and there are no specific prerequisites. However, students should note that the course content is primarily and almost entirely scientific rather than legal. This is not a course about the legal aspects of forensic science but rather teaches forensic science. The course does not assume any background knowledge of the physical or biological sciences although this would clearly be an advantage. The course is quite unlike any other available to LLB students (with the exception of the forensic medicine course) and students are advised to consider this particularly before embarking upon the course. Students are welcome to discuss the course with the course organiser or course lecturers to clarify this matter. Please note also the comment under "Assessment" in this document. The course would be suitable for students who already hold a degree, those students who have studied scientific subjects prior to university entrance or law students who have previously attended the forensic medicine course of the law degree. The course is not recommended for students in their final year of study. Any student interested in attending the course but unsure of its suitability should contact the course organiser or course lecturers.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

Module Aims

The primary aim of the module is to introduce students to the ways in which medical science can assist in the resolution of legal issues in the criminal and civil courts.

Learning Objectives

By the end of the module students should:

• a) To develop an awareness of the various forms of physical evidence and how each type is located and identified at a crime scene
• b) To study the effectiveness of physical evidence collection and preservation.
• c) To examine critically, for each type of physical evidence, the various class and individual tests performed by the laboratory
• To consider how each type of physical evidence can be presented in court in accord with its probative value

Skills

Handle a variety of texts, including scientific, legislative and judicial, selecting relevant and rejecting irrelevant material; present and discuss the concepts and phenomena discussed in such material.
Obtain insights into the subject-matter of such material.
Practise library and IT research to discover such material.
Write concise and cogent academic essays on such material.
Produce academic essays in proper form.

TEACHING ARRANGEMENTS

Seminars will generally be held on alternate weeks in the first and second semesters. In addition to the seminars it is hoped there will be a combined visit to the identification branch of Tayside Police and the Forensic Science laboratory at West Bell Street. Attendance at seminars is compulsory and an attendance register will be kept. If you are unable to attend for any reason other than illness, you should seek the approval of you advisor of studies. Adequate preparation is essential prior to seminars. Prior to attending seminars, all students should have read the relevant sections of the prescribed textbook and the other listed reference materials. They will be expected to have familiarised themselves with the facts and techniques involved in the investigation of the issues to be discussed in the seminars prior to attendance. This basic data will not form part of the seminar but will be used as a platform from which analysis, interpretation and critical discussion of the scientific evidence may proceed. All the information required for these discussions will be available to the students in advance of the seminars and it is their responsibility to equip themselves appropriately. The discussions during these seminars will assume prior knowledge of this material.
In addition, students will be given, in turn, specific subjects to research. They will be expected to prepare a 10 minute presentation on the designated subject for the benefit of the entire class. A lively and interactive approach is encouraged, making full use of Powerpoint, handouts, and appropriate props. Student presentations will be assessed on content, focus and style.
For tips on how to produce a presentation, see the Powerpoint slideshow in the Resourse Tools area of the Blackboard Module site.
Student participation is an essential component of this Honours course and will be assessed (see Assessment). Pre-reading and participation in discussion is expected.

Seminars

Seminars will generally be held on alternate FRIDAYS be at 3.00 - 5.00 p.m. in Scrimgeour Building, Room 2.12 ( on the Campus map). See the separare seminar schedule.
Students should note that the lecturers practice forensic medicine and may be called away at short notice to fulfil their service obligations to procurators fiscal and the courts. Consequently sessions may be cancelled at short notice. NOTICE OF CANCELLATION WILL BE PROMINENTLY DISPLAYED ON THE DEPARTMENT OF LAW NOTICE BOARD AND ON THE DOOR OF THE CLASSROOM.

Cancellation of sessions will necessitate re-arrangement of the schedule. To facilitate this some periods, designated as 'reserve' on the timetable, have been left free to accommodate cancelled sessions. When a session is cancelled the series will be shifted taking advantage of the next reserve period.

These arrangements place upon the students the responsibility to inform themselves of changes in the seminar timetable through regular attendance at the seminars and frequent perusal of the Blackboard.

Attendance and participation

Attendance at every seminar (subject to illness or other good cause) is required if a student is to meet the standards of attendance and participation. If a student fails to attend lectures, absence will be noted on the student record and so be a consideration at any stage where decisions about progress and future are being made and when references are being prepared. A student may be required to do additional work to compensate for absence (whatever the reason for the absence) and to demonstrate that there has been coverage of the materials and skills which that lecture was designed to address. Such work must be completed. If a student has good reason for missing a class, eg illness, the student can self-certify absence for up to 5 days and should also inform the module organiser so that this can be noted. If an illness results in absence for more than 5 days, students must go to their doctor for confirmation of the illness and obtain a medical certificate signed by the GP. Medical certificates should be sent to the department of law office who will inform others as appropriate. Please note, however, that self-certification of illness is not permitted in relation to late submission of assessments.

RECOMMENDED TEXTS

See the indicated readings list. It is not recommended that students purchase these texts. A sufficient number should be available in the law library on short or three day loan. Other relevant journal references will be distributed in class or listed in lecture handouts.

The law library holds the journal Medicine, Science and the Law.

DETAILED SYLLABUS

The teaching material will be presented through crime scenarios, some of which will be taken from real crimes and others which will be somewhat fictional. Each crime scenario will illustrate various types of physical evidence and they will be discussed according to the objectives listed above. The crime scenarios will include some or all of the following: a housebreaking, a "hit and run", a drug seizure, a shooting, a rape and a case illustrating the statistical significance of evidence.
There are 9 two hour seminars held fortnightly throughout the autumn and spring terms. The seminars will be directed by a member of the Centre for Forensic and Legal Medicine. It is also hoped that visits to the Tayside police forensic science laboratory and the Tayside police identification unit can be arranged.

ASSESSMENT

1. There will be three set assignments, each counting 20% of the total course assessment. These will include interactive problem-solving exercises. See Assessment area for details and policy on late submission and plagiarism. Following submission and marking, each Assignment will be discussed in class to provide feedback and a model answer.
2. All students will be assessed in relation to their participation in each seminar with particular regard to their involvement in discussions and evidence of pre-reading (20%). In addition, students will be allocated 2 or 3 ten-minute PowerPoint presentations to give to the entire class over the duration of module. These will form the basis of class discussions. Presentations will be assessed in relation to content, focus and style.
3. There will be 4 computer Aided Assessment Exercises, accompanying the relevant seminars and each worth 5% (20% in total). The computer program provides immediate feedback of score and wrong answers.

The University Alpha-Numeric Reporting Scale and Aggregation Scale (see below) is used throughout the module for all assignments. An exemption pass is awarded to any student achieving an average mark of D3 = 10 (Satisfactory) in the four elements. Consequently it is possible for a student to pass the module without obtaining a pass mark in all individual elements, so long as the aggregate mark allows for a pass.

Students who fail to submit an assignment will receive no mark for that element of the assessment though the circumstances of your non-completion will be considered by the board of examiners.

Students who fail to qualify for an exemption pass are required to sit a two hour written resit examination in August/September. This two hour written examination is in short answer format and requires students to answer any 8 of 18 questions. This examination is also marked anonymously. Past papers are available in the Law library.

The individual coursework assignments provide formative assessment but also contribute towards a summative statement of achievement. Formative assessment is designed to provide students with feedback on progress and inform development. Summative assessment provides a measure of achievement or failure made in respect of a student's performance in relation to the intended learning outcomes of the programme. The intended learning outcomes for the module are set out above. An overall outline of the timetable of work and assessments is given in a separate document on Blackboard VLE. This information is provided at the start of the programme to enable students to plan and prepare effectively. Feedback is provided to students on all assessed work and is scheduled into the lecture series. This feedback is intended to promote learning and facilitate improvement. Students may request additional individual feedback from any of the module lecturers at any time by contacting them via email through Blackboard.

• Academic Dishonesty & Plagiarism
• Submission of Assignments
• Late Submissions
• Marking of Coursework

With respect to the written assignments, the attention of students is drawn to the University policy on plagiarism. Plagiarism is not acceptable, and may result in a student failing to achieve any marks for that work as well as activation of the University disciplinary procedures.

Academic dishonesty and plagiarism

Matters concerning plagiarism and academic dishonesty are addressed in the University's Code of Practice on Plagiarism and Academic Dishonesty to be found on the university web pages and reproduced as an appendix to this document. Students must familiarize themselves with the content of this document in order to avoid falling foul of this code of practice in their coursework, since penalties can be severe.

Academic dishonesty involves cheating to obtain a mark or some privilege to which the student would not otherwise be entitled. It is an extremely serious matter. (Plagiarism is separately mentioned below). There is no closed list of forms of academic dishonesty. Forms include taking unauthorised materials into examinations, collusion with others in submitting work, submitting as your work something done by another person, duplication of material submitted for another assignment, false declaration to obtain an exemption or privilege, and falsification of data. The penalties for academic dishonesty can be very severe. This is because cheating strikes at the heart of the award of degrees. There can be a warning which is recorded in a student's file, and may well have consequences for references. There can be a reduction in marks. There can be a requirement to take an entire module again. There can be a refusal to award a degree. There can be fines. There can be expulsion from the University. All these penalties have been used. It is no defence to a charge of academic dishonesty that you did not intend to cheat. It is suggested that you should be wary, in particular, about cooperation with someone else in the preparation of written assignments. If the ideas or work of someone else are submitted as your own, without acknowledgment, that may be misleading to an examiner and be academic dishonesty. You should seek guidance from academic staff if you do wish to have the help of someone else in preparing your work.

Plagiarism is regarded as a serious example of academic dishonesty, and thus can result in any of the penalties mentioned above. It is important to note that there can be plagiarism even where there is no intention to cheat.
It is defined in the University's Code of Practice (see Appendix) as: "the unacknowledged use of another's work as if it were one's own".

• using more than a single phrase (or even a single particularly distinctive phrase) from another's work without the use of quotation marks and acknowledgment of the source;
• summarising another's work by changing a few words or altering the order of presentation without giving full acknowledgment;
• copying the work of another, whether a published author or fellow student;
• using another's ideas without acknowledgment.

The mere inclusion of a publication in the bibliography is not a sufficient acknowledgment where particular ideas or phrases have been taken from it and used. Plagiarism should not be a problem if you are careful in taking notes from the sources which you have used acknowledging those sources, and in preparing your work. Make sure that you take accurate notes, using quotation marks where you copy an author's exact words and clearly identifying the source. When writing an essay make sure that you check and specifically acknowledge (i.e. in footnotes or endnotes) where ideas and phrases come from. Whilst discussing issues and ideas with fellow students is to be encouraged, be careful that this does not lead to the appearance of collusion. You should also be careful about lending drafts or outlines of essays to others for the same reason.

Submission of Assignments (see also late submission of assignments below)

All written work required for assessment must be typed or prepared with a word processor. Work which is not presented in this way will receive a mark of zero. Assignments will have a word length. This will not normally include footnotes, endnotes and bibliography. Excessive or insufficient length will be penalised. There is no formula for deduction of marks, but in any case, an essay that is too long will likely be verbose and irrelevant and be marked accordingly. Similarly, an essay that is excessively short is likely to have arguments that are underdeveloped or may fail to address core questions and the mark will reflect this.

Assignments should be submitted, by the student in person, to the Law Departmental Office using the Assignment Submission Form annexed to this document and also available on Blackboard. This submission form must be completed, so acknowledging that you have read and understood the rules on academic dishonesty and plagiarism. There is anonymous marking of written assignments which are identified by the student's matriculation number only.

Each written assignment is accompanied by specific details of the required format, content, completion time, as well as the place of submission, and penalties for late submission.

Marking of coursework

There is internal moderation of assignments to ensure that the marking is fair, rigorous and reflects the intended learning outcomes of the module and hence standards. This is achieved by the review of all work for selected students at the end of the module. The external examiner for the course is a medical practitioner in active forensic medicine practice. There are two internal examiners, one of whom is the module organiser. Any information on marks or performance that is provided to students prior to completion of moderation and approval by the board of examiners is necessarily provisional, and subject to change by moderation, and the decision of the board of examiners. The board of examiners may take account of extenuating circumstances affecting a candidate's performance.

The standard university assessment scale is used for all assessments.
Click here to visit the document link on the Univerity website.
The scale is reproduced here in PDF format which is more suitable for printing.
Page 2 of this document relates the assessment scale to the specific requirements of the Department of Forensic Medicine.

This scale will be used for reporting grades to students and will be used on all official University transcripts. The alpha-numeric reporting scale is associated with an aggregation scale, which is used to aggregate elements of assessment together to obtain an overall module grade.

Late Submission of Assignments

Module guides set out the details and submission dates of all assessed work. All assessed work is due at 4.00pm on the dates specified in the module guide (which will not be Fridays). Any work handed in after 4.00pm on the specified date will be subject to the penalties indicated below. As you are given generous notice of the work required of you, it is expected that the work will be submitted on time.

The policy of the department on the late submission of assignments is set out in every assignment which is distributed. The policy is that where the head of department is satisfied that there is good cause for the late submission of an assignment, no deduction is made from the final mark. Where the head of department is not satisfied that there is good cause for the late submission of an assignment, marks are deducted from the final mark, at a rate of two marks on the aggregation scale (see above) for every day or part of a day the work is late up to a maximum of 5 days. No assignment is accepted more than 5 days after the due date for submission. The weekend (Saturday and Sunday) is counted as one day for the purpose of this rule.

• (a) computer failure or other IT difficulty;
• (b) illness which has insufficient connection in time or severity to the submission date;
• (c) bereavement, other than that of a very close family member.

It is the responsibility of students to organise their time properly. When the deadline for submission has been known well in advance, but work is left until the last minute, any failure to meet the deadline because of a minor illness or an IT difficulty is not the result of an unavoidable external problem but is the result of a failure in the student's own time-management.

The departmental policy is that there are NO extensions for late submission of course work. Exceptionally penalties for late submission may be waived where written evidence is produced to support such a waiver. In the case of medical grounds this must take the form of a doctor's certificate indicating clearly the dates or period to which the medical condition applies. Doctors are unwilling to see patients for short-term minor illness such as colds or 'flu' for which there is no medical treatment in the ordinary case other than letting the illness take its course. Where a medical problem is more serious or more prolonged and requires prescribed medication, there should be no difficulty in getting either a medical certificate or an extension. In the case of a family bereavement a letter from the student or a member of the immediate family, clergy or doctor is acceptable. This should state as a minimum, date of bereavement, date of funeral, relationship of deceased to student. Only sickness or major life crises will be considered. Where such evidence is produced attached to the late submission the module organiser will refer the matter to the head of department who has the discretion to accept the late submission and reduce or waive the penalties. A note of the decision will be recorded and notified to: the student's file and the module organiser who will advise the student concerned. If late submission is wholly or partially waived, the student is advised that any mark given is provisional and subject to confirmation by the board of examiners. It should be noted that NO work can be accepted after the same has been marked and returned to the rest of the class. In such cases a zero must be awarded for the work and any extenuating circumstances can be brought to the attention of the board of examiners.

No extensions will be granted for the literature review or research dissertations but any mitigating factors, again supported by appropriate medical or other certification, can be taken into account by the board of examiners.

DIFFICULTIES AND FEEDBACK

If you have any difficulties with the module there are a number of ways in which you can get help. If you are having problems with understanding material you should approach the lecturer dealing with that part of the module. Questions about the organisation of the module or the assessment arrangements should be taken up with the module organiser.
Feedback from the students is welcomed at any point in the course. Comments about the module can also be made through your student representative on the Teaching Committee.
In order to improve this module we will be seeking your help by asking you to fill in an anonymous questionnaire. This will be distributed towards the end of the module. It is intended for formal evaluation at the end of the module but the flexibility inherent in the seminar format enables constructive suggestions for improvement of the course to be incorporated during the module. Students are therefore encouraged to approach the course co-ordinator or lecturers throughout the year with any comments or suggestions regarding the course material or teaching methods.

APPENDIX: UNIVERSITY OF DUNDEE SENATUS ACADEMICUS

REGULATIONS GOVERNING PLAGIARISM AND ACADEMIC DISHONESTY

• 1. The University's degrees and other academic awards are granted in recognition of a candidate's personal achievement.
• 2. Any action on the part of a candidate which involves plagiarism (defined as the unacknowledged use of another's work as if it were one's own exemplified by copying from a source without acknowledgement of its origin) or other form of academic dishonesty, in work which may be assessed as part of the requirements for an academic award, will be regarded as a serious offence.
• 3. Where a substantive case of academic dishonesty or plagiarism is detected by an examiner, a written or oral report shall be made to the Board of Examiners(1) concerned, along with one of the following recommendations:
  1. that the examiner is satisfied that the matter should be noted but requires no further action by the Board(1) because it involves no more than a single lapse or a very few minor lapses which have been taken into account in the examiner's assessment of the work; or
  2. that the nature of the academic dishonesty is such that in the examiner's opinion it is appropriate to reduce the candidate's mark by a specified amount to reflect the examiner's assessment of the extent of the cheating; or
  3. that the nature of the academic dishonesty, and/or its extent, is so significant that the examiner is unable to penalise the work adequately by a reduction in marks and that the Board of Examiners(1) should consider it as a serious case of cheating.
• 4(1) In the case of a recommendation from an examiner in terms of Regulation 3(2) the Board of Examiners(1) has the discretion to adjust the marks and results up to the point where the academic rating for the piece of work in question is reduced to zero with whatever consequences would normally follow from such performance, including loss of class in the case of honours examinations, or failure in the case of other examinations.
• 4(2) A Board of Examiners(1) has no power to make a greater adjustment to marks by way of penalty for what it regards as a more serious and substantial case of academic dishonesty. Where a Board of Examiners(1) believes the extent of the dishonesty in terms of Regulation 3(3) to be such that sanction over and above the disallowance of work is appropriate, as detailed a report as possible of the circumstances of the offence should be sent to the Academic Secretary who will arrange for it to be considered along with his recommendation concerning the subsequent action which might be taken by the University Committee on Academic Dishonesty. In such a case, any decision by the Board of Examiners(1) concerning that particular student shall be suspended pending the decision of the Committee.
• 4(3) The decision of the Committee on Academic Dishonesty shall be final except in those cases where the Committee believes refusal to award a degree or other qualification or exclusion from the University is appropriate. In such cases the Committee shall make a recommendation to the Senate.

Footnotes

(1) or the head of department in cases where academic dishonesty or plagiarism is detected in coursework undertaken during the academic year. This is to ensure that matters may be dealt with expeditiously in the interests of the students concerned rather than having to wait for the annual meeting of the Board of Examiners in June.

(2) Any such decision of the Senatus is subject to the provision of Statute 9(5)(b).