Description: This course is a first introduction to analytical population genetics for  senior undergraduate and first year graduate students in biology, physics, chemistry, mathematics, computer science and engineering. The goal is to explain the fundamental principals of evolutionary population genetics using simple mathematical ideas and tools.  All mathematical ideas will be explained from first principles and no strong mathematical background will be assumed (except for high school level Algebra/Geometry). We will cover selected material from the text books to understand the role of mutations, drift, selection, migration, segregation and recombination in determining population structure and dynamics, understand how to find disease associated mutations, perform phylogenetic analysis, create models of human migration and evolution and perform Monte Carlo simulations to study evolution. 

Material will be drawn from the following books:
1. "Principles of Population Genetics" by Hartl and Clark
2. "Population Genetics: A Concise Guide" by J.H. Gillespie
3. Human Evolutionary Genetics: Origins, People & Disease; by Jobling, Hurles and Tyler-Smith
4. "Theoretical Evolutionary Genetics" by Joe Felsenstein. Pdf file: http://evolution.genetics.washington.edu/pgbook/pgbook.html

Additional readings will be assigned from:
1. "Genome" and "The Red Queen" by Matt Ridley
2. The Seven Daughters of Eve" and "Adam's Curse" by Brian Sykes
3. "Journey of Man" by Spencer Wells
4. "The Blind Watchmaker: Why the Evidence of Evolution Reveals a Universe Without Design" by Richard Dawkins
5. "The Selfish Gene" by Richard Dawkins
6. "Genes in Conflict" by Austin Burt and Robert Trivers.

Additional reading material may be assigned from time to time to enhance the understanding of the topic being discussed next in class. Grading scheme will be: Homework 40%, Quizzes 30% and Final Exam 30%.