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Murderers and Medical Detectives - GENT0911
The Red Centre promenade

 
Faculty: Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
 
 
School:  School of History and Philosophy
 
 
Course Outline: School of History and Philosophy
 
 
Campus: Kensington Campus
 
 
Career: Undergraduate
 
 
Units of Credit: 6
 
 
EFTSL: 0.12500 (more info)
 
 
Indicative Contact Hours per Week: 3
 
 
Enrolment Requirements:
 
 
Excluded: All CRIM courses, SLSP2820
 
 
Excluded: CRIM3004, HIST2820
 
 
CSS Contribution Charge:Band 1 (more info)
 
 
Tuition Fee:See Tuition Fee Schedule
 
 
Further Information: See Class Timetable
 
 

Description

How many people in the past, or even today have "got away with murder"?

We will be looking at this questions, using a historical perspective to explain how the public utilisation of society's norms and expectations, together with developments in medical science, went hand in hand with increasingly sophisticated methods of murder and thence increasingly efficient methods of detection.

Some of the topics will include: the arsenic 'epidemic' creating a toxic environment in the 19th century; criminal 'types' and how this notion impeded detection; doctors as murderers; changing methods of forensic detection and how miscarriages of justice may have occurred because of the rising status of science and the expert witness.

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© The University of New South Wales (CRICOS Provider No.: 00098G), 2004-2011. The information contained in this Handbook is indicative only. While every effort is made to keep this information up-to-date, the University reserves the right to discontinue or vary arrangements, programs and courses at any time without notice and at its discretion. While the University will try to avoid or minimise any inconvenience, changes may also be made to programs, courses and staff after enrolment. The University may also set limits on the number of students in a course.