Uniting the Two Solitudes: Removing the Boundaries between Classroom and Laboratory in an Undergraduate STS Forensic Science Class for Nonscience Majors

Abstract

This article examines the use of an STS approach to a forensic science lab course for nonscience majors at a university college in British Columbia, Canada. The transdisciplinary nature of forensic science provides opportunities to emphasize the relationships between natural sciences, associated technologies, and societal issues. A number of lab experiments are described to illustrate pedagogically important features relating to the STS emphasis of this course. Benefits and drawbacks that have been encountered in this class are discussed.