Have you watched every true crime documentary so many times your friends are concerned? Do you have an interest in crime, forensics, DNA, and court shenanigans? Have you been considering a career in law enforcement, forensics, sociology, criminology, or anthropology? Then, look no further than the new Summer Exploration program coming to the University of Montana in July 2024, CJUS 191, affectionately named “CSI: Missoula.” During CSI: Missoula, participants will get the opportunity to spend two weeks engaging in a simulated murder case, following the proper steps and procedures from crime scene investigation, DNA analysis, and profiling, all the way to court proceedings and concluding the program with a mock trial—all while spending two weeks in a University of Montana dorm room with friends old and new!

This course is an interdisciplinary endeavor, combining knowledge and skills from across the fields of anthropology, criminology, forensics, and sociology. The anthropology side is headed by Professor Meradeth Snow who specializes in DNA analysis. Professor Snow and her team of graduate students who will be leading the instruction of CSI: Missoula will be guiding students through the first week of the course. Students will investigate a crime scene, search for human remains, and go over some skeletal analysis (a plastic skeleton), and other forensic analyses like DNA work and crime lab visits.

The aim of this course is to excite prospective students about a wide variety of fields in regards to criminal justice, law enforcement, and sociology, and to shatter the expectations that have been created in these fields by movies and TV, as well as gain hands-on experience for those interested in and those still considering their higher education paths. Professor Snow is particularly excited about the forensic analysis students will partake in as well as the overall experience they will have in staying in UM dorms for two weeks while making new friends and learning new things. Snow says that it will be a true crime experience, unlike anything students have seen before! And she is very excited about the crime scene—you’ll have to see it to believe it.

If this gets your passion for crime bubbling, check out the Summer Explorations website for more information and to register before the April 15, 2024 deadline. We hope to see you soon, detective.

Warning:

Parents and students alike should be forewarned—though great care and responsibility are being taken by the University of Montana and the Anthropology and Sociology departments to respect the sensitive nature of this program and how it might affect its participants, caution should be exercised for those who are squeamish, susceptible, or otherwise sensitive to some of the simulated but real elements of a murder scene, the profiling process, and a mock trial. No human remains or real photographs will be used in this course, though the themes might be emotionally distressing. We ask that applicants truly consider the implications of this program and one’s own constitution. This program is designed to be insightful and eye-opening, but more than anything, it is designed to be fun. We thank you for your careful consideration.