Forensic Anthro

On April 16, 2004, I attended a lecture presented by Madeleine Hinkes, a professor of anthropology, on the role of forensic anthropology in death investigation. Professor Hinkes is also the only certified forensic anthropologist in all of southern California. The presentation was great. Madeleine herself was a very interesting person. I went into the lecture having very little knowledge of professor Hinkes and the field of forensic anthropology itself, but I left an enlightened student with pages of notes.

Professor Hinkes began her lecture speaking a little about herself and the field in general. She said she gets to do a lot of traveling from the job, I would say that’s a benefit for the job. What also interested me was when she talked about how not very many people want the job and it’s not high on demand. She said that good job security for her in a way. I thought that was funny. Then she spoke on what the requirements are to get certified in the field. The requirements for certification, after you obtain your masters, and PhD, are getting qualified to take an exam handed by the American Board of Forensic Anthro

The tasks of a forensic anthropologist may also often involve court testimonies. Most of the questions asked of the anthropologist are questions of trauma… “What happened? How’d they die? What instruments were used?” As explained by the professor, forensic anthropologists are case driven, and many times will have to do more of their own research. In the field, misevaluations do happen, and the corrections on their mistakes are how this science advances.

pologists. Yes, this does mean after all the schooling, the masters, and the PhD; you must apply to be qualified for the exam itself. Once you’re accepted, you are issued a 4 hour written exam, and a 4 hour practical exam. In order to be certified, one must pass these exams. There are only 60 certified forensic anthropologists in the United States today.

Forensic anthropologists are always being tested, so they constantly double-check themselves. Working in the field is said to be a constant learning process. Everyone’s skeleton is different. Professor Madeleine has had to learn everything about CT scans and MRI’s, and how to compare pictures of a body before and after death. She said she occasionally has to speak with the families about th

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