You've followed forensic investigators as they solve crimes in novels, movies, and TV shows, unearthing facts hidden from the normal human eye. And now you want forensics to play a starring role in your fiction, but you need a quick education on the subject. This course will reveal all the secrets you need to know in order to craft a gripping and realistic work of fiction.

During this six-week course, we'll explore how investigators analyze physical evidence, including blood, DNA, fingerprints, hair, documents, ammunition, and corpses. From the code-breaking tricks of the cyber-sleuth to the traditional procedures of the autopsy room, we'll look at the strengths and weaknesses of forensic technology. And we'll cover common misconceptions about forensic analysis found in films and novels, errors that you'll want to avoid in your own writing.

This course will also introduce you to the major players of a criminal investigation--the first responder, the lead investigator, and the crime scene experts--just the sort of people who make great characters. You'll meet forensic pioneers who can provide role models for fictional investigators. And you'll explore historical highlights of forensic crime detection, which will prove helpful when you write about historical periods other than our own.

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Recommended Courses:

Students who enrolled in Forensic Science for Writers were also interested in the following courses:

Introduction to Biology

Introduction to Criminal Law II

A Writer's Guide to Descriptive Settings

Evidence Law

Human Anatomy and Physiology

Introduction to Criminal Law

Research Methods for Writers

Travel Writing

Writeriffic: Creativity Training for Writers

Syllabus:

All courses run for six weeks, with a two-week grace period at the end. Two lessons are released each week for the six-week duration of the course. You do not have to be present when the lesson is released, but you must complete each lesson within two weeks of its release.

A new section of each course starts on the second or third Wednesday of each month. If enrolling in a series of two or more courses, please be sure to space the start date for each course at least two months apart.

Week One

Wednesday - Lesson 01

In this lesson, you'll discover how forensic evidence fuels a criminal investigation. We'll look at the many uses of forensic science—from the crime scene to the courtroom. And you'll find out about the professionals who extract clues from the scene of a crime: the first responder, lead investigator, crime scene specialists, and evidence analysts. You'll also find out how writers take advantage of the limitations of real forensic analysis to create plot twists.

Friday - Lesson 02

Investigators find a reddish stain at a crime scene. Is it blood? If so, is it human blood? If it is human, then whose blood is it? In this lesson, you'll learn how forensic scientists examine blood chemistry to answer these questions. We'll also explore how experts reconstruct a crime scene using the physical characteristics of blood. This is the science of blood spatter analysis, which we'll explore in this lesson. You'll also become familiar with classification and individualization, processes that can link a victim, a crime scene, and the perpetrator.

Week Two

Wednesday - Lesson 03

The year 1986 marked the first time that a scientist used DNA analysis to aid a criminal investigation. Since then, DNA profiling has emerged as a vital tool of law enforcement. In this lesson, you'll discover the techniques that forensic scientists have employed to analyze DNA, including current tactics supported by extensive DNA databanks. You'll also learn a few tricks that your fictional villains can use to duck DNA analysis.

Friday - Lesson 04

Edmond Locard, one of the true pioneers of forensic science, says that every contact leaves a trace. In this lesson, you'll see how trace evidence—hair, fibers, glass fragments, paint chips, and dirt—can link a suspect and a crime. We'll also see how fictional investigators have benefited from trace evidence analysis.

Week Three

Wednesday - Lesson 05

Do you know what a fire and an explosion have in common? Either can occur by accident or by design. And either may be used to commit a crime or to cover a crime. In this lesson, you'll discover how arson investigators determine the cause of a fire. Then, we'll explore techniques for examining the scene of an explosion. You'll also learn how your fictional protagonist can investigate a homicide-by-poison.

Friday - Lesson 06

Forensic ballistics has played a role in criminal investigations for over 200 years. In this lesson, you'll learn how experts currently perform forensic examinations of firearms. You'll find out how investigators determine the type of weapon used in a crime and link ammunition fragments to a weapon. You'll also learn about methods that experts use to reconstruct a shooting. How should your fictional investigators inspect the scene of a shooting? What can the evidence suggest about the crime? You'll learn the answer here.

Week Four

Wednesday - Lesson 07

In this lesson, you'll see how experts scrutinize one of the oldest types of evidence used in criminal investigations: fingerprints. You'll find out how your fictional crime scene specialists can visualize hidden fingerprints, and how experts can distinguish one fingerprint from another. You've undoubtedly seen movies or TV programs that show computers conclusively matching a suspect with a fingerprint scan. But did you know this just doesn't happen in real life? In today's lesson, you'll find out the real role computers play in fingerprint analysis.

Friday - Lesson 08

Fingers aren't the only things that leave impressions at crime scenes. Tools, feet, footwear, tires, palms, teeth, lips, and even ears leave prints, as well. Today, you'll learn how investigators use these marks, and which of these techniques are frowned upon most by judges. You'll also discover how some investigators scan a suspect's brain to examine a very different type of impression: those residing in memory.

Week Five

Wednesday - Lesson 09

In this lesson, you'll find out about two very different types of tracks: computer traces and audit trails. Computer forensic experts can use electronic evidence to establish that a crime has been committed or to link a crime with a victim or its perpetrator. You'll see how experts hunt down incriminating bits in a computer and the techniques used to thwart them. You'll also learn about forensic accounting, a specialty that has gained popularity in fact and in fiction.

Friday - Lesson 10

Today, you'll explore the contributions forensic document examiners make to an investigation. You'll find out how experts detect hidden writing, date documents, link a document with the machine that created it, and unmask forgeries. You'll also learn how adding a document examiner to your story can be of benefit. You'll even get a tip or two about what your fictional investigators should avoid when examining paper evidence.

Week Six

Wednesday - Lesson 11

Do you know the difference between a coroner and a medical examiner? How do death investigators determine the time of death? You'll find out in this lesson. You'll also learn how investigators seek the identity of a corpse and uncover clues about the cause and manner of death.

Friday - Lesson 12

In this lesson, you'll discover how an analysis of language and behavior can support a criminal investigation. We'll also survey some exciting new techniques on the horizon, explore a brief history of forensic science developments, and we'll even investigate some famous fictional forensic investigators. You'll even learn how the current popularity of forensic science-based fiction impacts criminal trials and writers.

This course includes a knowledgeable and caring instructor who will guide you through your lessons, facilitate discussions, and answer your questions. The instructor for this course will be Phillip Jones.

Phillip Jones, Ph.D., J.D., a former science and medicine instructor, has practiced extensively in both scientific and legal arenas. As a fulltime freelance writer, Jones has published over 100 articles that blend science, law, and history. He earned a certificate in forensics and has published articles on forensic science and historically prominent criminal investigators in Forensic Nurse Magazine, The Strand Magazine, The Forensic Center Newsletter, Today's Science, Forensic Magazine, and Law and Order Magazine, as well as a mystery story in Futuristic. His writings in forensic science earned him associate membership with the Mystery Writers of America.

Requirements:

A basic knowledge of high school science, Internet access, e-mail, the Microsoft Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox Web browser, and the Adobe Flash and PDF plug-ins (two free and simple downloads you obtain at http://www.adobe.com/downloads by clicking Get Adobe Flash Player and Get Adobe Reader).

Student Reviews:

"As an already successful writer, I am sure I will refer to these lessons over the coming years as I continue to write novels."

"Enjoyed the course. I was happy with the way it was presented and would recommend it to others."

"Excellent course. As a current member of the Law Enforcement community, I was impressed at how much this course parallels currently offered law enforcement courses that cost much more. The assignments were challenging, and definitely assisted in preparation for the final."

"Excellent course for writers and anyone interested in the "real" science behind forensics. Would highly recommend this class. The instructor is clearly very knowledgeable."

"Excellent use of crossword puzzles as assignments."

"Fantastic course! Challenging information was presented in an understandable fashion. This covered a huge amount of information on forensics. Definitely worth the money!!"

"Great class! This saved two books that I otherwise could not have completed. It gave me the necessary understanding of crime scene investigation and police work I needed to finish the plots. Thank you so much!"

"Great Course! I gathered information for my current mystery novel. Thanks!"

"Highly informative, very well organized and presented."

"I am amazed at all the info. provided in this course. This is by far the most advanced, sophisticated course I have ever taken. Exceeding a university curriculum. Every question I had been answered with your "Most asked questions" sheet. Thanks for providing your experience and expertise."

"I am a Police Officer and have found this course interesting, factual, and very informative. I will certainly use this information daily and when I pursue training in the Forensic Identification Bureau."

"I am astounded at the wealth of material that this instructor included in the "Supplementary Material" and "FAQ's". It was outstanding! Though I'm not a mystery writer, I am fascinated by true crime "stories" and most important the evaluation of evidence in solving those crimes. This course more than met my expectations."

"I can't believe how much I've learned. This was an excellent class, and I really hate to see it draw to a close. I especially appreciated your touches of humor among the highly-detailed information."

"I enjoyed this class a great deal. You took a subject that could have been very dry and made it quite interesting. I have a feeling that the supplementary material will be used again and again. Also, I really liked the idea of the crossword puzzles for our assignments - it made the search for detail more fun than if we'd just had to fill in the blanks."

"I feel this class has given me a tremendous reference guide to help me in my future writing projects."

"I found that this course was very informative and detailed. The information was clear and concise and well presented. I enjoyed the material that we covered."

"I found the course wonderfully challenging. I would recommend it to others."

"I have thoroughly enjoyed this class and learned a lot. It has gone into more depth than some other writing classes I have taken, and I love all the links included for further research. I have made a binder of the lessons and added it to my writing research library, which I plan to use frequently for reference as I pursue my writing. Thank you for a well taught, informative class."

"I must admit that this was one of the best and toughest courses I've yet taken, but it was more than worth it! Great instructor! Great info! I feel like a real forensics expert able to write any mystery now! Thank you so much!"

"Incredible amount of useful info. It also sheds a different light on the veracity some of the episodes of crime shows. Thanks. This course was very enjoyable...and a challenge."

"In this course I was provided with a tremendous amount of data, which included references to studies, names of experts, and technical terms. I appreciate that the instructor took the time to create an index of the resource material and topics covered - a help in further research."

"I really appreciated this course. It has opened my eyes to see what the real job really entails. I love it! My book now will have more detail."

"I really enjoyed this course -- you provided excellent information that I will be able to use in my writing and a great number of additional resources that are most helpful."

"I really enjoyed your forensics class. Thanks for a wonderful learning experience."

"I strongly believe this is a very good informational class with an excellent instructor."

"I thought this course was excellent. It was so informative. The instructor was great. The information he put together was amazing. It is valuable information for future writing."

"I want to thank you for such an informative, comprehensive, and well organized course. This has been a joy to take, and I feel I am quite ready to tackle my first forensic writing project (or at the very least, to be able to more effectively critique others' projects). This has been the best online course experience!"

"Material was excellent and fascinating. Very well presented by the instructor."

"Not only did this course give me an introduction to forensics, it also provided valuable links to other sources that I can explore later at my leisure. Since the websites are frequently updated, I can be sure the information is current. I was also impressed that the instructor used some example cases from my state--Washington State! More importantly, the course teaches us how much we DON'T know about forensics--in the future, I expect to read mysteries and view crime television shows more intelligently, and I will be careful not to construct complicated or unlikely scenarios in my own writing without doing extensive research. I work in office support for law enforcement, and so I expect this course will also help me either in this job or at another agency to at least have a familiarity with terminology."

"Of the many courses I have taken, Demystifying Forensics has been the most valuable, by far. The material was presented in an entertaining, organized and informative fashion. I enjoyed it so much, in fact, that I stretched it out to the bitter end, only completing the final test within a day of running out of time. Excellent course, just excellent."

"Of the numerous courses I have taken, this has been the most useful. Highly informative, very well organized and presented."

"Please continue to offer this course. I have many mystery writer friends who would benefit from it."

"Really enjoyed the course. I am retired and in my late 60's. I have always been interested in Forensic Science. Although the course appeared to be designed for fictional writers, I thought I would gain some knowledge from taking it. Again, I really enjoyed the course...Thank you."

"Suberb; depth of knowledge amazing; supplemental, FAQs and additional information outstanding."

"Thank you for a very informative class. I’ve already found myself critiquing the “Law & Order” folk; losing some suspension on my disbelief has been balanced out by the fun of playing “spot the error”. The supplementary material is the most comprehensive I’ve seen in any of the online courses I’ve taken (or offline, for that matter), and should keep me busy for about 2 lifetimes."

"Thank you so much for all of the information you gave us! I feel much more confident now about the forensic aspects of my writing. I especially liked how you gave us ideas in our lessons about how evidence and the processing of that evidence could create plot twists. You really know your stuff and I appreciate you sharing your knowledge with us…Thank you!"

"The course was great - very informative. The quiz and exam questions were particularly well written."

"This class was not only fascinating, but also a lot of fun! I'm going to miss having it to look forward to."

"This class was very informative and I REALLY enjoyed the assignments. Thanks to my instructor I can hopefully avoid some common mistakes made by fiction writers. Thank you!"

"This course covered more than I ever imagined in a relatively short time-frame. The instructor is not only knowledgeable, but has a good sense of humor and relates his subject matter to a large variety of books, movies, and actual events. His supplementary links, resources, and recommended reading show his tremendous enthusiasm for the subject matter. I am truly impressed by the scope of the course material! Thank you for an insightful eye-opening experience."

"This course has been of enormous value to me, I found the material to be compelling and written in such a way as to make the reader feel as if they were in fact, carrying out a forensic investigation of each lesson. Of particular value were the crossword assignments as the reader must investigate the lesson to find the answers. I highly commend this course not only for writers but anyone who has an interest in forensic science."

"This course was in-depth, enjoyable, and full of information that I plan on using in my writing. I learned a lot of things that I didn't know but need to in order to make my fiction more realisitic."

"This course was of immense value to me as a writer. I've learned so much about forensics from this course. This course confirmed some forensic facts that I have previously written about and also provided me with opportunities to weave plots in future novels."

"This course was outstanding! I have great respect for the instructor - his knowledge and his ability to present that knowledge in a concise and clear manner. I also appreciated the illustrations and the suggestions for use of this information in writing. I knew very little about this subject when I started but I feel I've received a very adequate foundation for further investigation. I may never use it in my stories but I am glad to have had the opportunity to broaden my understanding of these aspects of crimal investigation. This course was a very good use of my money and time! Thanks!!!"

"This course was outstanding! I have great respect for the instructor - his knowledge and his ability to present that knowledge in a concise and clear manner. I also appreciated the illustrations and the suggestions for use of this information in writing. I knew very little about this subject when I started but I feel I've received a very adequate foundation for further investigation. I may never use it in my stories but I am glad to have had the opportunity to broaden my understanding of these aspects of criminal investigation. This course was a very good use of my money and time! Thanks!!!"

"This course was outstanding. It contained a significant amount of material. Every chapter was well presented with relevant information. The source/supplemental material is invaluable. The writing suggestions were superb. Thank you for the opportunity to get an overview of the basics of forensics. I'll keep this material on file for reference because due to the amount of 'facts' presented, it would be impossible to remember it all. Thank you for a great course."

"This course went above and beyond my expectations. The material is so beautifully laid out that even I, a non-science type, have been able to grasp the concepts. The numerous resources listed after each chapter are invaluable. An intriguing course for writers and those who are simply interested in the study of forensics. The crossword puzzles to aid in preparation for the quizzes are a fun bonus. Great class!"

"This is a excellent course. This course is very enjoyable ........ and a challenge. " The more I learn the more I realize how little I really know". For some reason this old saying keeps popping into my mind. The supplemental material is the most comprehensive I saw in any online courses, ( or offline ). Excellent use of crossword puzzles as assignment. What a great idea."

"This is one of the best--no, the best class I've taken through ed2go. Although I could have spent weeks on each lesson (and will in the future as time permits), each one was an eye-opener. I can't think of a class more valuable to a writer of mysteries. I will recommend this class to every other writer I know."

"This man is an expert and could easily answer anything I threw at him. The depth of my education in such a short time was amazing."

"What a great course! I'm really sorry to see it end. The instructor was fantastic and I'd gladly take another of his courses in a second. We covered a lot of material, and it was never boring! This was my first online class, and I can't wait to start the next one. Thanks! Money well spent."

"Wonderful class! The best I’ve taken. There is so much information packed into this course that it could have been overwhelming but the material was so well presented, the illustrations so helpful, it became a class I looked forward to and I didn’t want it to end. The instructor had some great tips for fiction writers, and I would highly recommend this course for any aspiring authors of police-procedural novels."

"would strongly recommend this course for those who want a good basic understanding of forensic science. This course provides a sound overview of what is involved in this area, particularly to those who write mystery/suspense fiction."

"Wow! I really did learn a lot, much more than I would have hoped for out of such a hard class. My hat is off to you."

"Wow. This was a great course. Even though forensic science is a massive amount of knowledge to learn this course gave me the basics and was well taught."

"WOW! What a class! I have enjoyed this 'writing course' more than any of the others I have had over the years...so very interesting and informative. The 'tests' are so unique and fun, it made the lessons that much more ingrained in my brain. Thank you so very much for sharing your knowledge and talents…I would like to sit in on another of your classes."

"Wow! What can I say? This teacher was really the best. I can't believe how intelligent and knowledgeable he is. It is obvious that he is teaching this class because he simply enjoys it, and wants people like you and me to learn. We were very fortunate to have him for a teacher. If he is teaching any other classes, I would definitely take them. He is too valuable and has a lot of knowledge in the law field, forensics, sciences, etc. he is a very incredible teacher, and also humble. He is so action-packed with information and there is no fluff or filler about him."