Ethics and Professionalism in Forensic Anthropology (eBook)

Forensic anthropologists are confronted with ethical issues as part of their education, research, teaching, professional development, and casework. Despite the many ethical challenges that may impact forensic anthropologists, discourse and training in ethics are limited. The goal for Ethics and Professionalism in Forensic Anthropology is to outline the current state of ethics within the field and to start a discussion about the ethics, professionalism, and legal concerns associated with the practice of forensic anthropology.

This volume addresses:

• The need for professional ethics
• Current ethical guidelines applicable to forensic anthropologists and their means of enforcement
• Different approaches to professionalism within the context of forensic anthropology, including issues of scientific integrity, qualifications, accreditation and quality assurance
• The use of human subjects and human remains in forensic anthropology research
• Ethical and legal issues surrounding forensic anthropological casework, including: analytical notes, case reports, peer review, incidental findings, and testimony
• Harassment and discrimination in science, anthropology, and forensic anthropology

Dr. Passalacqua is an Assistant Professor and the Forensic Anthropology Program Coordinator at Western Carolina University. Prior to arriving at WCU Dr. Passalacqua worked as a deploying forensic anthropologist with the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency - Laboratory. Nicholas received his Ph.D. in Anthropology from Michigan State in 2012; and was certified by the American Board of Forensic Anthropology in 2016.
Dr. Passalacqua is a co-founder and editor of the journal Forensic Anthropology. His research interests include age at death estimation, skeletal trauma analysis, and ethics. Dr. Passalacqua is a co-author of the award-winning textbook: Forensic Anthropology: Current Methods and Practice, and has numerous publications in such journals as: The Journal of Forensic Sciences, The International Journal of Osteoarchaeology, and The American Journal of Physical Anthropology, as well as chapters in such books as: Skeletal trauma analysis: Case studies in context, The analysis of burned human remains, Age estimation of the human skeleton, and A companion to forensic anthropology.

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Forensic anthropologists are confronted with ethical issues as part of their education, research, teaching, professional development, and casework. Despite the many ethical challenges that may impact forensic anthropologists, discourse and training in ethics are limited. The goal for Ethics and Professionalism in Forensic Anthropology is to outline the current state of ethics within the field and to start a discussion about the ethics, professionalism, and legal concerns associated with the practice of forensic anthropology.This volume addresses: The need for professional ethics Current ethical guidelines applicable to forensic anthropologists and their means of enforcement Different approaches to professionalism within the context of forensic anthropology, including issues of scientific integrity, qualifications, accreditation and quality assurance The use of human subjects and human remains in forensic anthropology research Ethical and legal issues surrounding forensic anthropological casework, including: analytical notes, case reports, peer review, incidental findings, and testimony Harassment and discrimination in science, anthropology, and forensic anthropology