MWF 11:30-12:20 am, S110 Foege
Instructor: Dr. Mary Kuhner
Office: S332C Foege (call on the lobby phone if you don’t have a building pass)
Office Hours: TBA, or by appointment
Phone: (206) 543-8751
Email: mkkuhner@uw.edu
WWW: http://courses.washington.edu/gs562/

Course structure:

Genome 562 covers the concepts and mathematics of the behavior of genes in populations, including natural selection, genetic drift, population structure, genetic recombination and linkage. It also covers major inference methods, including phylogenetics, the coalescent, and quantitative genetics.

Due to lack of time, it does not cover the speciation process or evolutionary trends beyond the species level.

The course assumes knowledge of fundamental genetics: meiosis, inheritance, recombination and linkage, and the structure of genes and chromosomes. The homework will involve small amounts of programming, so knowledge of a programming language is helpful, but I am willing to coach the needed skills outside of class if necessary.

Grading:

Grades will be based 1/3 on weekly homework (8 assignments total), and 1/3 each on the midterm and final exams. You may work together on the homework, but be sure that every member of the team knows how to solve all of the problems.

Like genetics in general, population genetics is a problem-solving domain, not a memorization domain. The shorter homework problems are a model for what the exams will be like.

All homework will be posted on the course web site. It can be turned in on paper or electronically, but please do not send me cell phone photos of paper homework.

Course Schedule
This version is corrected for 2/4 snow closure.

Fels: Felsenstein Theoretical Evolutionary Genetics

Day Date Topic HW Optional readings





Mon Jan 7 Wright-Fischer and the coalescent HW1 assigned Fels 453-456
Wed Jan 9 Genetic drift Fels 246-258
Fri Jan 11 Population growth and shrinkage Fels 258-260, 457





Mon Jan 14 Mutation process HW1 due, HW2 assigned Fels 135-141
Wed Jan 16 Natural selection, Hardy-Weinberg Fels 5-9, 49-56
Fri Jan 18 Overdominance and underdominance Fels 65-66, 80-88





Mon Jan 21 MLK HOLIDAY
Wed Jan 23 Selection versus drift HW2 due, HW3 assigned Fels 304-337
Fri Jan 25 Population diversity





Mon Jan 28 Multiple locus selection, epistasis HW3 due, HW4 assigned Fels 349-354
Wed Jan 30 Linkage and recombination Fels 354-373
Fri Feb 1 Hitchhiking, surfing, and genetic draft Fels 377-389





Mon Feb 4 NO CLASS DUE TO SNOW
Wed Feb 6 Subdivided populations and migration HW4 due Fels 167-203
Fri Feb 8 MIDTERM EXAM





Mon Feb 11 Inbreeding HW5 assigned Fels 207-213, 232-235
Wed Feb 13 Quantitative genetics Fels 393-399, 404-415, 421-428
Fri Feb 15 Selection on quantitative traits Fels 430-458





Mon Feb 18 PRESIDENT’S DAY HOLIDAY
Wed Feb 20 Sex linkage, sex ratio, sex determination HW5 due, HW6 assigned Fels 17-21
Fri Feb 22 Selection on sex-linked and sex-related traits





Mon Feb 25 Sexuality versus asexuality HW6 due, HW7 assigned
Wed Feb 27 Chromosomal and genomic evolution
Fri Mar 1 Concerted evolution, mobile genetic elements





Mon Mar 4 Evolutionary trees HW7 due, HW8 assigned
Wed Mar 6 Comparing and validating phylogenies
Fri Mar 8 Gene trees versus species trees





Mon Mar 11 Coalescent inference HW8 due Fels 462-476
Wed Mar 13 Kin and group selection Fels 119-125
Fri Feb 22 Competition among levels of organization





Wed Mar 20 2:30-4:20 Final Exam