Course Description: This course is designed to provide students with a general introduction to population genetics, which examines the interaction of basic evolutionary processes (including mutation, natural selection, genetic drift, gene flow, inbreeding, and recombination) in determining the genetic composition and evolutionary trajectories of natural populations. An understanding of the mechanisms shaping genetic variation within and between populations is critical to understanding the course of adaptive evolution and is increasingly being recognized as a critical component of medical research and the development of effective treatments for disease. Both the classic models and insights of the modern evolutionary synthesis and more recently developed approaches based on coalescent theory are considered. Mathematical models have figured prominently in population genetics, but there is also a longstanding tradition of testing these models with empirical data. Thus, we will also review methods of measuring genetic variation in natural populations and examine experimental tests of the central concepts derived from population genetics theory. Empirical examples will involve a broad diversity of organisms, including humans and the genome-scale analyses that have provided important new insights. The course includes three weekly lectures and one hour of discussion, which will focus on readings from the primary literature. Student participation is expected and strongly encouraged during both lecture and discussion.
Syllabus
