Enrollment options
Optional Print Course Material:DNA: Autosomal DNA - Testing for Everyone
*Course material will only be sent to students who are registered in the course.
NOTE: There is a lot of interest in DNA and Forensic topics. Please read carefully before registering to take one of these courses. The DNA and Forensic courses offered by the International Institute of Genealogical Studies provide instruction on DNA methods as used in genealogical research. We recommend that students without the basic knowledge of genealogy methods and genealogical research should register in the Methodology - Part 1: Getting Started and Methodology Part 2 - Organizing and Skill-Building courses prior to registering for this course.
Genetic genealogy is a great tool, but also has ethical concerns beyond scientific understanding. Explore and understand the three tests of genetic genealogy. Autosomal, that now includes X-Chromosome analysis, paternal lineage (yDNA), and maternal lineage (mtDNA).
MODULE 1
INTRODUCTION
What is atDNA?
Who can test?
Why should you test?
What to do while waiting for your test to come back
Taking the Test
A Basic Genealogical Research Plan
MODULE 2
BASIC GENETICS
Why you are you
Who do you take after
It’s all a numbers game
MODULE 3
DEALING WITH PEOPLE
Ethics and genetic genealogy
Investment = Success
Ways to communicate with your potential relatives
Information to include in correspondence
MODULE 4
UNDERSTANDING THE RAW DATA
What is a Match?
Quantifying relatedness
Organizing Your Data
Testing Information
Managing Your Matches
Keeping Track of Your Segments
Testing Companies
AncestryDNA
23andMe
Family Tree DNA
MyHeritage DNA
Living DNA
MODULE 5
ANALYSIS TOOLS
Third Party Tools for Analysis
GEDMatch
Phasing
Triangulation
MODULE 6
X-CHROMOSOME ANALYSIS
X Inheritance
Ethnicity and atDNA
Importance of Reference Populations
Genetic vs. Genealogical Trees
How companies compare
Ethnicity calculations and GEDMatch