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Career path for forensic anthropologists
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Forensic Anthropology is for Me Introduction I. A career that I have always been interested in is forensic anthropology. Well, you can’t consider it always it actually all started with a TV show that my parents watch way too much, Bones. Bones is about a forensic anthropologist who helps the Jeffersonian solve murder cases. She is the best forensic anthropologist in the world and as she solves all of these cases she displays her ability to learn to adapt and solve riddles at a ridiculous rate. This gave me an unrealistic fantasy about how amazing and fast paced the job is so, I chose this topic to bring that fantasy into something more realistic and maybe if I work hard enough I can make it a reality. So to make it more realistic I will outline my path to get there following three main points the career information, the schooling requirements and my future lifestyle. This might just make me one step closer to changing this fantasy into reality. …show more content…
The career facts on forensic anthropology. Although forensic anthropology has a very low employment rate and a predicted increase of 3.9% for the next decade (“Anthropologists”), it is balanced out by the fact that very few people seek to use it as their form of employment. The low number of people working to become a forensic anthropologist may be attributed to the stringent requirements for the job. A forensic anthropologist needs to have a deep understanding of the human anatomy, the English language, mathematics, cause and effect and be able to effectively convey their findings. Yet, that isn’t even the most outputting part the average annual wage in the United States even after going through all of that schooling is only 68, 487$
“This is my lab and what we do is study bones,” states Kari Bruwelheide in her video entitled “30,000 Skeletons”. Of the three resources that we were provided, “Puzzles of the Chesapeake” by Sally Walker, “Forensic Anthropology” by an unknown author, and “30,000 Skeletons” by Smithsonian Education presented by Kari Bruwelheide, the resource “30,000 Skeletons” is by far the best at explaining the role of an anthropologist. It is unbeatable because it is a video rather than just written words, and Kari Bruwelheide has personal experience in being a forensic anthropologist. A forensic anthropologist is a scientist that studies human remains, or in another word, skeletons, to try to find out information about the past.
The purpose of this paper is to critically evaluate the media’s portrayal of forensic anthropology in the TV show ‘Bones’, compared to what it is in real life. It is important to evaluate an episode of ‘Bones’, due to the growing effect of media on society. TV shows romanticizing forensic anthropology can give people who do not have real forensic knowledge, like the jury, unrealistic expectations in real life cases that involve the expertise of forensic anthropologists and cloud their judgments. The method to be used to evaluate the episode is triangulation of sources using lecture notes, textbooks, and peer reviewed journals on forensic anthropology. The portrayal of forensic anthropology in ‘The feet on the beach’ is inaccurate
In conclusion, a trained forensic anthropologist is an important factor to consider when the trauma on the bone occurred, how it occurred and what type it is. With no longer having the flesh on the body, it can make finding cause of death difficult, which is why the forensic anthropologist is
Anthropology is a study of mankind that goes beyond the fragment of ones skeletal remains. Anthropology Studies involved within this science include the culture and surroundings a person once lived in.Anthropology, (2014) A example scientist often conduct archaeological digs. Their findings reveal many different aspects of that person or person’s life. The weather a person could have been exposed to. The environment or activities that person might have participated in. The scope of life that can be recovered from human remains is astonishing. Forensic Science as a whole is an impressive and interesting science that can be used within many different realms.
Forensic anthropology is the study of bones in relation to a criminal investigation. Some have probably seen it used on television, but this is not an accurate portrayal of what this truly is. Many times, this area of forensic science is hidden from the public eye; people only get to see all of the glamorous parts. What they do not see is all of the hard work and effort that is put in to get the job correctly done. This career is a rare decision for someone to choose, because of the lack of opportunity for employment positions as well as the low income per year; however, it is an extremely fascinating occupation. Forensic anthropology has been known to help many organizations, including museums, and law enforcement agencies.
In order to understand Forensic Anthropology we must break it down into the components. According to Oxford American Dictionary the term Forensic is significant to the use of scientific methods to investigate a crime. Anthropology is defined by Oxford American Dictionary as the study of societies, cultures, and human origins. The combination of both, Forensic and Anthropology, consists of applying the principles which are introduced by Anthropologists to solving a crime. Forensic Anthropology is currently a small field but is expected to grow in the upcoming years due how it is being portrayed in books, television shows, classes, and many other resources. The usage of this field is becoming crucial because of how gruesome the crimes being committed by criminals are becoming. Although Forensic Anthropology is currently a small field it requires a lot of education, carries plenty of job responsibilities, and continues to aid in the solving of crimes.
The road to becoming a forensic anthropologist starts with a realistic self-assessment. Students must be prepared to spend up at least eight years studying and training in school for a doctoral degree needed to practice forensic anthropology with law enforcement agencies. However, students must face the fact that the majority of forensic anthropologists work in universities and only occasionally consult with law enforcement on cases from time to time. Almost all forensic anthropologists are either professors or researchers. Students who do practice hands-on forensic anthropology must be prepared to deal with cadavers, disturbing cases and decomposing body materials. Once students overcome these obstacles, they should join an appropriate degree program.
Forensic Anthropologists compete a lot in their career because there is a small number of positions in this job. A master’s degree is required and the annual salary for all anthropologists are $64,290.
Forensics Anthropology is the study that goes beyond the human skeleton. A forensics anthropologist can find out. How a person lived, the food that person ate, and the overall make-up of a human. The use of forensics has grown in recent years, it is used to solve crimes and locate missing persons. Snow, (1982) Forensics anthropology is not a new science. The first case forensics anthropology was used on was the Jezebel case, dating back to the nineteenth century. This case involved a person, who was thrown from a window. Snow, (1982) The remains found in this case were the skull, feet, and the palm of the victim’s hands.
Before I was even able to crawl around the living room in my own house or make more than just a simple baby coo; I was a strong-willed little girl that soon grew up to follow her dreams. My mother has always said that I have one of the strongest personalities she has ever seen; that I am a leader and a risk taker. Since I was six years old I wanted to help people in need and to give them justice. Watching the television shows; Criminal Minds, Hawaii Five-0 and Castle, furthered my love for getting into the details and solving the crime. I have always loved science and learning how science can be brought into solving a crime. The TLC television network show, Forensic Files has opened my eyes to a much greater career field than just looking at
Forensic Anthropology is a type of physical Anthropology , which is classified as the study of human remains. This career field is most commonly used in the crime department. The study of anthropology itself requires an excessive amount of time. It requires the basic understanding of all things “science” as in the basic scientist knowledge. What makes this field more challenging than a normal scientist if job if the human remains section. The human body itself has more than 200 bones . It is required to have an exquisite knowledge of every single bone . The person needs to be able to determine when the body passed , as in the exact day and how many hours based on geographical location, discoloration , texture, etc. There are colleges and universities like the University of Alaska Fairbanks.
Forensic science is the study of science principles and criminal justice, where they bring collected evidence to the court of law. They, not simply, collect, examine, and analysis evidence, such as blood, weapons, etc, but what they do is help solve crimes and figure out significant key facts that could help put away someone who went against the law. What people do not understand is that this specific career has a lot of fascinating jobs attracted to it. Not only are they each unique in their own way, but they bring a new light to essential evidence that may be needed in trials. Depending if I want to go into Forensic Science as a technicians, a psychiatrist, pathologist, or even a coroner, they all have a need for a Bachelor’s degree, a Post- doctoral training, Doctoral, Master’s, or an Associate’s degree. Not only does it say that, but some also say I will have
The first step taken to become a forensic scientist is to first pass the education required to become one. The education level chosen depends on what kind of forensic job you are interested in and what salary you are going for. Most entry-level forensic positions require a bachelor’s degree in forensic or natural science (Anne 1996). Undergraduate programs consist of toxicology, biochemistry, and criminal justice classes. The American Academy of Forensic Sciences also recommends English classes. This is because forensic scientists need very honed written and oral communication capabilities to write detailed reports and testify physical evidence in court.
An example of media portrayal would be the very popular show Bones on TVNETWORK. While these shows are entertaining this portrayal of Forensic Anthropology is not entirely accurate. Forensic Anthropology is really much more than that. A forensic anthropologist, Fredy A. Peccerelli combines elements of pathology, archaeology and anthropology to solve crimes he works with law enforcement on. He has spent most of his time exhuming bodies from Guatemala. Mr. Peccerelli says that “What we do is all about life” and that “It’s all about people. This is about applying scientific knowledge for everyday human issues” (C. Dreifus). He and many of his colleagues believe that the bones are the ones that tell the story while the anthropologists are just the means for them to do so (C. Dreifus).
The topic I find such fascinating is Forensic Science and how forensic science has significantly changed over the years. “The area of forensic science has grown considerably over the last 150 years and more so since the mid 1980’s.” (Lyman, 2016) Forensic science has gone from taking basic information, and fingerprints to DNA and blood splatter. During a crime scene investigation evidence is collected, analyzed in a crime laboratory and then if needed are presented to the court. However, today the crime laboratory is becoming mobile and can go to the scene to analyze the evidence. Each crime scene and investigation is unique and distinctive, with the help of forensics it can help solve a case.