Forensic Science & the Law: A Case Study

This subject has the following teaching availabilities in 2016:

170 hours

For the purposes of considering request for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Cwth 2005), and Student Support and Engagement Policy, academic requirements for this subject are articulated in the Subject Overview, Learning Outcomes, Assessment and Generic Skills sections of this entry.

It is University policy to take all reasonable steps to minimise the impact of disability upon academic study, and reasonable adjustments will be made to enhance a student's participation in the University's programs. Students who feel their disability may impact on meeting the requirements of this subject are encouraged to discuss this matter with a Faculty Student Adviser and Student Equity and Disability Support: http://services.unimelb.edu.au/disability

In England, between 1750 and 1914, scientific testimony increasingly became a feature of the law. In particular, the scope given to the expert witness shaped the development of the common law. The forensic sciences, in general, became a tool for identifying the criminal, while forensic psychiatry, in particular, was integral to developing new notions of criminal culpability and responsibility. In the process, society's understanding of both crime and the criminal was significantly modified by the emergence of these new sciences.

This subject will focus on the remarkable record-set that has been provided by the digitisation of the Old Bailey Session Papers (OBSP). As London's Central Criminal Court, the Old Bailey was the predominant theatre of crime and punishment in the largest city in the world. The OBSP provides transcripts of the trials which offer extraordinary insights into the workings of the law and the past lives of the long dead historical actors. At the same time, they allow us to chart the transformations wrought upon law and society by the emergence of the forensic sciences.

Students who successfully complete this subject will:

• understand the emergence of forensic science, especially forensic psychiatry, in the context of the development of common law, policing, medical jurisprudence and psychiatry;
• synthesise, analyse and assess arguments about the history of the forensic sciences, contextualising these arguments within the broader domains of medicine, history, philosophy;
• create effective arguments, backed up by convincing evidence, about the development of the forensic science, and be able to express these to experts and interested non-experts;
• develop high-level research skills, including the ability to extend your knowledge-base beyond subject materials, combining traditional library- and archive-based research;
• develop effective communication and presentation skills (written and oral), and the ability to collaborate constructively within the classroom;
• demonstrate ethical integrity in written work and classroom activities, including a deep ethical engagement with issues around the law and the mind.

• A 1200 word presentation of 5 cases from the OBSP, due 2 weeks after the end of teaching (30%)
• A group collaboration, equivalent to 800 words, due in the final workshop (20%)
• A 2000 word critical essay, due 5 weeks after the end of teaching (50%)

Hurdle Requirements:

• Students must attend a minimum of 75% of classes in order to pass this subject.
• All pieces of written work must be submitted to pass this subject.

Note: Assessment submitted late without an approved extension will be penalised at 10% per day. After five working days late assessment will not be marked. In-class tasks missed without approval will not be marked.

Subject readings will be available online.

This subject potentially can be taken as a breadth subject component for the following courses:

• Bachelor of Biomedicine
• Bachelor of Commerce
• Bachelor of Environments
• Bachelor of Music
• Bachelor of Science

You should visit learn more about breadth subjects and read the breadth requirements for your degree, and should discuss your choice with your student adviser, before deciding on your subjects.