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Forensic Anthropology
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What is Forensic Anthropology? "Forensic anthropology is the scientific discipline that applies the methods of physical anthropology and archeology to the collection and analysis of legal evidence. Description and identification of skeletonized human remains are standard work for forensic anthropologists, but the expertise of the forensic anthropologist is also applicable to a wide variety of other problems. The common denominator is hard tissues: bones, teeth, and sometimes cartilage" (Burns 1999:3). Therefore, in order to practice forensic
anthropologist,
one must first and foremost study physical anthropology, with an
emphasis
on skeletal biology, and secondarily, train in archaeology in order to
assist in the search for and excavation of skeletal material. A
physical
anthropologist may also be asked to examine a body that is badly or
completely
decomposed or burned. It is the job of the anthropologist to identify
whether
or not the bones are human, and if they are human, to develop a
biological
profile, which will aid in the identification of the person(s). A
biological
profile consists of the person's ancestry, sex, age at the time of
death,
and stature, as well as any trauma sustained to the skeleton that may
aid
in the identification of the individual, or give indications of cause
or
manner of death. Trauma Antemortem
Trauma What is the difference
between Cause
of Death and Manner
of Death?
Reference:
If
you want to become a forensic
anthropologist, you have to go to university and study physical
anthropology.
Physical anthropology is one of four sub-disciplines of anthropology.
Cultural
anthropology, archaeology, and linguistics are the others. Physical
anthropology encompasses topics such as primatology, evolution,
and skeletal
biology,
to name a few. So you have to go to university to get a degree in
physical
anthropology, and you should try and focus your studies on human
osteology.
From there, you must continue your education, because in order to
practice
as a forensic anthropologist, you need a minimum of a master's in
physical
anthropology with a lot of experience, or a PhD in physical
anthropology. However it is possible to study specific aspects of
physical
anthropology
at the master's level, such as skeletal biology. It is also possible to
study forensic anthropology at the master's level.
There are no full time forensic anthropologists in Canada, so when skeletal remains are found, typically the police consult a physical anthropologist with a specialty in skeletal biology. Almost all physical anthropologists in Canada teach at universities; others work in museums such as the Canadian Museum of Civilization in Ottawa (http://www.civilization.ca/). Forensic anthropologists in Canada belong to the Canadian Association of Physical Anthropology (http://capa.fenali.net/)and, in many cases, to the Canadian Society of Forensic Sciences (http://www.csfs.ca/csfs_journal.aspx). In the United States, the employment situation is similar. However, there is also a professional organization to which physical anthropologists working in the forensic anthropology field can belong, the American Board of Forensic Anthropology (www.csuchico.edu/anth/ABFA/). Much of the work for forensic
anthropologists today
is in the area
of human rights work with organizations like Physicians for Human
Rights (http://physiciansforhumanrights.org/).
Another human rights organization is CIFA, the Center for International
Forensic Assistance (www.cifa.ac/);
it employs forensic scientists from all fields to
do work when needed. Something like this would provide great field
experience
for an up-and-coming anthropologist. |