Introduction to Photography and Arts Integration

In the RYSAG Crime Scene Investigation Camp, seventh- and eighth-grade students will investigate an art theft, from administrating the crime scene to interviewing suspects, witnesses and experts, to conducting research using library, museum and web sources. Working in small groups, they will develop a case against one of the suspects and present their argument in a courtroom setting, including a judge and jury.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation considers graphic (visual) media key to the building of a case, and the Arts Integration component of the CSI Camp will introduce students to graphic media used in investigating, recording and presenting evidence in court.

In particular, photographs and diagrammatic sketches of the crime scene, accompanied by text narratives and logs, provide a detailed record and substantiate oral testimony from investigating officers. Portrait photographs will also be taken to accompany interview transcripts as a record of testimony given by suspects and witnesses during the course of the investigation. Other forms of graphic evidence include samples of handwriting, which may be used in court as evidence of the identity of a source of handwritten documents deemed relevant to the case.

Working in collaboration with critical thinking and forensic science faculty, arts integration faculty will help students develop basic skills in digital photography and diagrammatic sketching. In addition, the arts integration classes will introduce students to the principles behind handwriting analysis. The students will use the photos and sketches they produce, and any handwritten samples they collect, as part of the presentation of their case in the courtroom at the conclusion of the camp. In addition, students will receive assistance in creating a personal photo album of their CSI experience.