Sessions:
Location:
Texts:
Griffiths, Wessler, Carrol, Doebley
Whitlock & Schluter
These texts are references only. I do not recommend purchasing the texts.
Instructor: Professor David Gresham <dgresham@nyu.edu>
Teaching Assistant: Grace Avecilla <ga824@nyu.edu >
Course Aims: To provide an integrated study of the biological basis of human heredity and statistical methods for studying human inheritance in families and populations. Students will learn the fundamentals of statistical analysis and computer programming using R.
This course fulfills the “Quantitative Skills” requirement for Biology Majors
Prerequisites:
Or by instructor approval
Grading:
The weekly quizzes are intended to encourage retention of key formula, facts and concepts. They will be held during the first five minutes of each Thursday class.
Assignments are problem based and require the use of R. With each assignment you should submit a <last name_first name_assignment#>nb.html file containing the computer code used to generate your results and the results generated using RMarkdown. The document should include comments, using markdown, that describe what each step in the code is doing.
Course Description:
Deciphering the information encoded in the human genome is one of the greatest (and most exciting) challenges of the 21st century. This course will provide an introduction to studying and interpreting the human genome with a focus on the statistical methods required for its study. Fundamental concepts in human genetics will be introduced including inheritance of mendelian disease, population genetics, multifactorial disease and functional genomics. Accompanying each topic will be an introduction to the statistical concepts and tools that are required to study inheritance, genes and gene function. These include probability, hypothesis testing, ANOVA, regression, correlation and likelihood. Hands on experience will be provided through weekly assignments using the statistical programming language, R. Prior experience with statistics and genetics is not required.
Policy on missed tests:
Exams will be excused only for medical or family emergencies. I need to be notified by phone or email before the exam time. An unexcused absence from an exam will be calculated as 0% for that particular test! If you miss an exam and present a legitimate excuse, a make-up test will be made available to you.
Assignments:
Must be handed in on time. Late assignments will be penalized 25% per day.
Thursday 1pm - 2pm
12 Waverly Place
Rm 405
Or by appointment.
Each class will address a topic in human genetics (Genetics) and statistics (Statistics). The recommended texts provide material complementary to that covered in class. However, the texts are not required and it is the student’s responsibility to find the appropriate section in the texts. Occasional additional readings will be provided in class.
Week 0
Class 1: Tuesday January 29th (Grace Avecilla)
Class 2: Thursday January 31st (Grace Avecilla)
Week 1
Lecture 1: Tuesday February 5th
Lecture 2: Thursday February 7th
Week 2
Lecture 3: Tuesday February 12th
Lecture 4: Thursday February 14th
Week 3
Lecture 5: Tuesday February 19th
Lecture 6: Thursday February 21st
Week 4
Lecture 7: Tuesday February 26th
Lecture 8: Thursday February 28th
Week 5
Lecture 9: Tuesday March 5th
Lecture 10: Thursday March 7th
Week 6
Lecture 11: Tuesday March 12th
Midterm exam: Thursday March 14th
Week 7
Lecture 12: Tuesday March 26th
Lecture 13: Thursday March 28th
Week 8
Lecture 14: Tuesday April 2nd
Lecture 15: Thursday April 4th
Week 9
Lecture 16: Tuesday April 9th
Lecture 17: Thursday April 11th
Week 10
Lecture 18: Tuesday April 16th
Lecture 19: Thursday April 18th
Week 11
Lecture 20: Tuesday April 22nd
Lecture 21: Thursday April 25th
Week 12
Lecture 22: Tuesday April 30th
Lecture 23: Thursday May 2nd
Week 13
Lecture 24: Tuesday May 7th
Lecture 25: Thursday May 9th
END OF SEMESTER