This presentation is part of a new course at Purdue University, ME 697F: Computational Methods for Nanoscale Energy Transport. The lead instructor is Prof. Xiulin Ruan of Purdue's Heat Transfer Area, and Profs. Jayathi Murthy and Tim Fisher are responsible for modules within the course. This lecture by Prof. Fisher provides a general overview of lattice dynamics, primarily focusing on 1D atomic chains, but also discussing the concept of density of phonon states in higher dimensions. The lecture also gives a glossary of terms in preparation for the following lecture on the quantum of thermal conductance and the atomistic Green's function method.