This course will familiarize students with the basic principles and uses of forensic science in the context of the American criminal justice systems. Forensic science, which is the study and application of science to legal processes, will be related to the collection, examination, evaluation and interpretation of evidence. The field of forensics encompasses many areas in both the physical and social sciences. This course will focus on the application of modern science to physical evidence collection, preservation, and analysis, which, if properly utilized, can be crucial in the resolution of social and legal disputes. This course will review and illustrate through actual laboratory demonstration, basic applications and methodologies in the biological, physical, and behavioral sciences to questions of evidence and law.