Postgraduate Course: Genetics of Human Complex Traits (PGBI11083)

Course Outline
School	School of Biological Sciences	College	College of Science and Engineering
Credit level (Normal year taken)	SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate)	Availability	Not available to visiting students
SCQF Credits	10	ECTS Credits	5
Summary	This course focuses on genetic and genomic approaches appropriate for the study of human populations. The course will emphasize analyses of both genetic disorders, and complex traits within the normal ranges and in the context of disease. It will identify the practical aspects associated with such analyses in human populations due to the structure and organisation of the human population and the importance of late-onset disorders. There is a strong emphasis on gaining computational skills for data analyses.
Course description	Session Topics Introduction to complex traits and genetic epidemiology Population structuring of variation and human population diversity Study design in human populations Linkage analysis of quantitative traits and binary traits/disorders Association studies - quantitative traits and case:control designs Post-GWAS analyses, Mendelian randomization and bioinformatics Modelling disease: ENU mutagenesis, finding genes and modifiers for cancer Critical assessment of research publications: how to write a critical essay

Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites		Co-requisites	Students MUST also take: Population Genetics (PGBI11124) AND Quantitative Genetics (PGBI11125) Students MUST also take: Quantitative Genetic Models (PGBI11085) AND Linkage and Association in Genome Analysis (PGBI11086)
Prohibited Combinations		Other requirements	None

Course Delivery Information

Academic year 2022/23, Not available to visiting students (SS1)		Quota: None
Course Start	Semester 2
Timetable	Timetable
Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info)	Total Hours: 100 ( Lecture Hours 10, Supervised Practical/Workshop/Studio Hours 15, Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 2, Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours 73 )
Assessment (Further Info)	Written Exam 60 %, Coursework 40 %, Practical Exam 0 %
Additional Information (Assessment)	One centrally arranged written exam (60%) plus one assignment (40%)
Feedback	Not entered
Exam Information
Exam Diet	Paper Name		Hours & Minutes
Main Exam Diet S2 (April/May)	Genetics of Human Complex Traits		1:30

Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to: Knowledge and Understanding. The student should know and understand: How the structure of human populations effect genomic variation and how to identify a complex trait. Understand the multiple strategies for gene identification and their strength and weaknesses when applied to complex traits. How to design studies for the identification of genes for both complex quantitative traits and disorders. The principals of quality control for linkage analysis and association studies. How to critically assess scientific publications. Practice: Applied knowledge, skills and understanding. The student should have practical knowledge and skills enabling the student to: Quality control a genetic dataset Perform parametric and nonparametric linkage analyses Perform association studies on quantitative and binary traits Use bioinformatics to improve the interpretation of the results of genetic analyses Generic cognitive skills. The student should be able to: Assess potential study designs for their strengths and limitations Integrate multiple public sources of genomic information Critically assess scientific information Communication, ICT and numeracy skills. The student should be able to: Implement genomic analyse using programs written in C++ and R, plot the results, and be able to interpret their significance. Write a critical essay covering an emerging topic in the field Autonomy, accountability and working with others. The students are expected to work through the lectures and practicals provided and take part in group discussion/ question and answer sessions. The students are expected to manage their time to ensure that they cover the course work provided and undertake the literature review necessary to complete the written in course assessment.