Mission Statement:
The mission of the Department of Forensic Science at Laurentian University is to provide our students with an excellent scientific education within a legal context from forensic faculty who are practitioners and researchers in their respective areas of expertise and to prepare our students for careers either in forensic science or enable them to go on to further education in other scientific specialties or the law.
Program Goals:
A) Provide students with a science education that will enable them to pursue careers in forensic science or other related disciplines.
B) Provide students with the intellectual and critical evaluation skills to successfully work as forensic scientists or as professionals in a related discipline.
C) Provide students with a legal and ethical grounding that is appropriate for careers in forensic science or other related disciplines.
Program Objectives:
Objectives for Goal A:
Provide students with a coherent curriculum of study that gives them a foundation in biology, chemistry, physics, mathematics, forensic science and Canadian criminal law.
Require students to have the ability to understand how scientific data are generated, analyzed, and interpreted.
Develop each student’s ability to recognize the limitations of scientific testing in order to interpret scientific data in an unbiased fashion.
Objectives for Goal B:
Students in the Forensic Science Program must demonstrate the following:
The skills to research, organize and interpret the current primary scientific literature as it pertains to forensic science.
Written and oral presentation skills to convey scientific principles in forensic science.
Understanding of the dynamics of crime scene processing.
The protocols for handling physical evidence from discovery at the crime scene through to the analysis at the forensic laboratory.
Objectives for Goal C:
Students must demonstrate the following:
An understanding of the basic principles of Canadian criminal law with respect to police powers, constitutional rights and the evidentiary role of the expert witness.
An understanding of the ethical responsibilities of the forensic scientist in the Canadian system of criminal justice.
The ability to work with their peers in a collegial manner with honesty, integrity, reliability and the initiative to complete tasks in a timely fashion.
The ability to present in a courtroom the results and analysis contained in a forensic report in their area of specialization.
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