About this Course

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Introduction to Genetics and Evolution is a college-level class being offered simultaneously to new students at Duke University. The course gives interested people a very basic overview of some principles behind these very fundamental areas of biology.  We often hear about new "genome sequences," commercial kits that can tell you about your ancestry (including pre-human) from your DNA or disease predispositions, debates about the truth of evolution, why animals behave the way they do, and how people found "genetic evidence for natural selection."  This course provides the basic biology you need to understand all of these issues better, tries to clarify some misconceptions, and tries to prepare students for future, more advanced coursework in Biology (and especially evolutionary genetics).  No prior coursework is assumed.

Flexible deadlines

Reset deadlines in accordance to your schedule.

Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

100% online

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Approx. 25 hours to complete

English

Subtitles: Arabic, French, Portuguese (European), Italian, Vietnamese, German, Russian, English, Spanish, Romanian

Skills you will gain

Biology
Genetics
Evolution
Genomics

Flexible deadlines

Reset deadlines in accordance to your schedule.

Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

100% online

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Approx. 25 hours to complete

English

Subtitles: Arabic, French, Portuguese (European), Italian, Vietnamese, German, Russian, English, Spanish, Romanian

Instructor

Instructor rating

4.9/5 (339 Ratings)

Dr. Mohamed Noor

Earl D. McLean Professor and Chair,

Biology

125,406 Learners

1 Course

Syllabus - What you will learn from this course

Content Rating98%(18,346 ratings)

Week

1

Week 1

20 minutes to complete

Welcome to Genetics and Evolution

General introduction to this MOOC, including coverage and expectations.

20 minutes to complete

2 readings

2 hours to complete

Evidence for Evolution

This module discusses the definition of the word "evolution" in a biological context, evidence for the truth of evolution and common ancestry of species, and public thoughts and misconceptions about biological evolution. This module is optional and will not be included in the course assessments. There are not class discussion forums for this section, as we feel such discussion can happen on other, non-course-related, sites on this topic (of which there are a great many on the internet).

2 hours to complete

5 videos (Total 81 min), 1 reading

Week

2

Week 2

2 hours to complete

Genetics I

An introduction to basic transmission genetics and inheritance. This module reflects what is often covered in high school biology courses in the USA.

2 hours to complete

6 videos (Total 74 min), 1 reading, 2 quizzes

Week

3

Week 3

3 hours to complete

Genetics II

This module delves somewhat more deeply into genetics and specifically the concept of "recombination." It begins to discuss how recombination is leveraged in classic genetic works as well as mapping simple genetic traits using crosses or data from natural populations.

3 hours to complete

7 videos (Total 97 min), 1 reading, 2 quizzes

Week

4

Week 4

2 hours to complete

Genetics III

This module delves even more deeply into the complexities of the genetics underlying traits,the origin of genetic variation, and how "complex" traits (ones controlled by multiple genes) are studied genetically.

2 hours to complete

6 videos (Total 75 min), 1 reading, 2 quizzes

Week

5

Week 5

2 hours to complete

Heritability and Population Growth

This module begins the transition to evolutionary genetics by looking at the relative contributions of genetics and environment to traits, and also introduces how population growth is studied.

2 hours to complete

6 videos (Total 74 min), 1 reading, 2 quizzes

Week

6

Week 6

2 hours to complete

Population Genetics I

Rather than looking at individuals, this module discusses how multiple individuals from natural populations can be studied genetically to begin to understand the evolutionary forces acting upon the populations.

2 hours to complete

6 videos (Total 69 min), 1 reading, 2 quizzes

6 videos

Allele and Genotype Frequencies (S)9m

Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium (S)12m

Deviation from Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium (S)12m

Differences Between Populations: Origins and Quantification (S)14m

Differences Between Populations: Effects of Gene Flow (S)7m

Inbreeding (S)12m

1 reading

Supplemental Materials, Population Genetics I10m

2 practice exercises

Population Genetics Problem Set 130m

Population Genetics Quiz30m

Week

7

Week 7

3 hours to complete

Population Genetics II

This module extends the previous one to specifically examine the effects of natural selection and genetic drift on genetic variation in natural populations.

3 hours to complete

7 videos (Total 103 min), 1 reading, 2 quizzes

7 videos

Natural Selection Fundamentals (S)17m

Types at Single Loci (S)21m

Types Acting on Traits (S)10m

Genetic Drift and Sampling Error (S)11m

Sampling Error over Many Generations (S)14m

Case Studies and Examples (G)15m

Rate of Neutral Molecular Evolution (S)12m

1 reading

Supplemental Materials, Population Genetics II10m

2 practice exercises

Population Genetics Problem Set 230m

Population Genetics II Quiz30m

Week

8

Week 8

3 hours to complete

Molecular Evolution

This advanced module explains why sexual reproduction (involving recombination) is evolutionarily advantageous, and discusses how the analysis of DNA sequences can be used to understand the evolutionary forces acting on populations or species, either in general or at specific genes.

3 hours to complete

7 videos (Total 88 min), 1 reading, 2 quizzes

7 videos

Evolutionary Advantages of Sex (G)10m

Recombination, Selective Sweeps, and Hitchhiking (S)14m

Signatures of Natural Selection (S)9m

Background Selection (S)7m

Signatures of Natural Selection in Individual Genes (G,S)15m

Searching for Natural Selection: dN/dS (S)13m

Searching for Natural Selection: McDonald-Kreitman Test (S)15m

1 reading

Supplemental Materials, Molecular Evolution10m

2 practice exercises

Molecular Evolution Problem Set30m

Molecular Evolution Quiz30m

Week

9

Week 9

2 hours to complete

Adaptive Behaviors and Sexual Selection

This module changes gears a bit to look at the exciting field of animal behavior-- specifically, how particular behaviors are or may be adaptive, and why individuals choose particular others as mates.

2 hours to complete

5 videos (Total 75 min), 1 reading, 2 quizzes

5 videos

Optimality and Adaptive Feeding (G)18m

Communication and Parental Care (G)18m

Intro to Sexual Selection (G)13m

Sexual Selection: Male Competition and Female Choice (G)13m

Sexual Selection: Evolutionary Causes (S)9m

1 reading

Supplemental Materials, Adaptive Behaviors and Sexual Selection10m

2 practice exercises

Behavior and Sexual Selection Problem Set30m

Adaptive Behaviors and Sexual Selection Quiz30m

Week

10

Week 10

3 hours to complete

Speciation and Phylogenetics

This module gets into the nitty gritty of what causes the formation of new species, and how evolutionary relationships between species are inferred.

3 hours to complete

6 videos (Total 92 min), 1 reading, 2 quizzes

Week

11

Week 11

1 hour to complete

Applied Evolution

This final module talks about applications and misapplications of many of the concepts discussed in the course to human health, understanding, and well-being. This module is optional and not included in the assessments.

1 hour to complete

2 videos (Total 27 min), 1 reading

Reviews

4.8

355 reviews

5 stars
85.34%
4 stars
11.51%
3 stars
1.67%
2 stars
0.65%
1 star
0.80%

TOP REVIEWS FROM INTRODUCTION TO GENETICS AND EVOLUTION

by MHSep 20, 2020

A wide-ranging introduction that will make you want to read and learn more. The assessments are doable but challenging. The instructor is a widely-published expert in the field and a delight.

by TNSep 27, 2017

Very good course that prepared me for Genetics at Pima Community College in Tucson. I am able to follow the lectures and actually understand what is being presented. I am glad I took this course.

by AKMar 30, 2020

An amazing course that explains so many natural phenomena. Dr Noor is a passionate, interesting and fun lecturer and was able to fit so much interesting and helpful sections into this course.

by JWJun 10, 2021

I love this course! I am not as far as I would like to be in it but life is crazy sometimes.. I would recommend this course to anyone who is interested in genetics!

View all reviews

Frequently Asked Questions

When will I have access to the lectures and assignments?
Access to lectures and assignments depends on your type of enrollment. If you take a course in audit mode, you will be able to see most course materials for free. To access graded assignments and to earn a Certificate, you will need to purchase the Certificate experience, during or after your audit. If you don't see the audit option:
The course may not offer an audit option. You can try a Free Trial instead, or apply for Financial Aid.
The course may offer 'Full Course, No Certificate' instead. This option lets you see all course materials, submit required assessments, and get a final grade. This also means that you will not be able to purchase a Certificate experience.
What will I get if I purchase the Certificate?
When you purchase a Certificate you get access to all course materials, including graded assignments. Upon completing the course, your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile. If you only want to read and view the course content, you can audit the course for free.
Is financial aid available?
Yes. In select learning programs, you can apply for financial aid or a scholarship if you can’t afford the enrollment fee. If fin aid or scholarship is available for your learning program selection, you’ll find a link to apply on the description page.
Will I receive a transcript from Duke University for completing this course?
No. Completion of a Coursera course does not earn you academic credit from Duke; therefore, Duke is not able to provide you with a university transcript. However, your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile.

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Introduction to Genetics and Evolution