Undergraduate Module Descriptor

SOC2126: Forensic Science, Conflict and Justice

This module descriptor refers to the 2022/3 academic year.

Module Aims

In a world where expertise is constantly contested and science and technology are presented as the silver-bullet solution to current problems, the aim of the module is to inspire a genuine engagement with innovation and forensics. We hope to achieve this by engaging with cutting edge theoretical innovations in science & technology studies, grounded in over a decade of research with victims and perpetrators of violence and the scientist trying to bring order and evidence to complex contexts in which mass violence, genocide and systematic abuses of human rights have made the pursuit of justice a matter of activism, science and wider social and political innovation. At the end of the course the student will have a very good understanding of the social dynamics of forensic humanitarianism and innovations, ideas, and practices to deal with mass atrocities, political repression, and violence. In sum, the students of this course will have the tools to critically engage with forensic science and its development in diverse political contexts.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
This module's assessment will evaluate your achievement of the ILOs listed here – you will see reference to these ILO numbers in the details of the assessment for this module.
On successfully completing the programme you will be able to:
Module-Specific Skills	1. Demonstrate and in-depth understanding of the epistemological and ontological underpinnings of forensic science. 2. Exhibit awareness of the socio-political & historical origins of conflicts and the pursuit of justice in the modern world across the north/south divide and the social theory that explains the role of modern science in such contexts.
Discipline-Specific Skills	3. Explain and illustrate different modes of sociological, political and philosophical theoretical / conceptual frameworks that help us understand the role of forensic science in the modern world. 4. Think critically about social, psychological and personal issues and develop your social imagination.
Personal and Key Skills	5. Critical and analytical skills that can easily be transferred to research positions in International NGOS and think tanks working in broad fields such as forensic humanitarianism, conflict and 6. Demonstrate written analytical skills by producing and essay on a deadline that could help you select and analyse relevant data to make decisions in policy making roles, government or as part of civil society organisations.

Module Content

Syllabus Plan

Introduction to forensics, materiality and evidence.
What is the sociology of forensic science?
Forensic Science and the state. Case Study: OJ Simpson Case
Questioning evidence: from oral testimony to materiality on trial
When states’ kill: authoritarianism, dictatorship and democracies
The Global South as a site of innovation: from Srebrenica to Mexico’s ‘War on Drugs’
Case Study: Argentina and the ‘Disappeared’
Forensic Humanitarianism
International aid, forensic technical assistance and the Global South
The path of the one is the path of the many: Re-imagining forensic science
Citizen-led forensics in Mexico (and beyond?)
Conclusion: Critical assessment of the status of forensic science in an everchanging world.

Learning and Teaching

This table provides an overview of how your hours of study for this module are allocated:

Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities	Guided independent study	Placement / study abroad
27	123

...and this table provides a more detailed breakdown of the hours allocated to various study activities:

Category	Hours of study time	Description
Scheduled learning and teaching activities	22	two-hour weekly lectures to go over topics and materials together.
Scheduled learning and teaching activities	5	fortnightly 1 hour tutorials.
Guided independent study	33	Course Readings
Guided independent study	45	Preparation for essays, library, research
Guided independent study	45	Essay revisions

Online Resources

This module has online resources available via ELE (the Exeter Learning Environment).

How this Module is Assessed

In the tables below, you will see reference to 'ILO's. An ILO is an Intended Learning Outcome - see Aims and Learning Outcomes for details of the ILOs for this module.

Formative Assessment

A formative assessment is designed to give you feedback on your understanding of the module content but it will not count towards your mark for the module.

Form of assessment	Size of the assessment (eg length / duration)	ILOs assessed	Feedback method
1000 words essay on open topic related to the course materials.	Two weeks to answer an open question related to one of the topics covered in the course.	1-6	Written feedback for the whole class addressing strengths and deficiencies + Verbal individual feedback
Oral presentation of preliminary ideas/outline for the final written assessment	1 presentation of 10-15 minutes	1-4	Written feedback + Group Discussion
Participation in seminars and reflexive journal of readings	Active participation based on readings	3-6	Verbal+ written feedback

Summative Assessment

A summative assessment counts towards your mark for the module. The table below tells you what percentage of your mark will come from which type of assessment.

Coursework	Written exams	Practical exams
30	70	0

...and this table provides further details on the summative assessments for this module.

Form of assessment	% of credit	Size of the assessment (eg length / duration)	ILOs assessed	Feedback method
Essay	70	2,500 words	1-6	Individual written Feedback
Participation in tutorials, group discussions and formative assessments.	30	Reflective journal and PPP product of the work done throughout the course uploaded to BART.	1-6	Group and personal oral and written feedback: i) the preliminary presentation of the essay topic and argument; and ii) the reflective journal discussing the tutorial readings and the discussion topics covered in class.

Re-assessment

Re-assessment takes place when the summative assessment has not been completed by the original deadline, and the student has been allowed to refer or defer it to a later date (this only happens following certain criteria and is always subject to exam board approval). For obvious reasons, re-assessments cannot be the same as the original assessment and so these alternatives are set. In cases where the form of assessment is the same, the content will nevertheless be different.