Human Nutrition
Nutrition 150
Spring 2007
Class Hours: Lecture: Monday & Wednesday, 6:00-8:30pm Room: AS 1521
Instructor: Erica Sciara, M.S. Office: IB2423C #14 Office Phone: (206)527-5665
email: website: http://www.facweb.northseattle.edu/esciara
Office Hours: Before class or by appointment
Course Goal: This course is designed to study nutrition as it relates to the human body. We will cover the dietary requirements for the major food groups: carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, electrolytes, and vitamins. This course will present information on the digestive system, circulatory system, endocrine system, and other regulatory systems in the human body. We will also cover how nutrients are absorbed and used by tissues in the human body. Expectations include the ability to analyze food choices and eating habits that optimize health and fitness. Each student is expected to develop skills in observation, analysis, evaluation, presentation, and organization. Each student is also expected to be able to communicate the information and concepts discussed in this course both verbally and in writing.
Course Content: Overview of Nutrition
Planning a healthy diet
The nutrients
Nutrition and pregnancy
Nutrition throughout the life cycle
Eating disorders
Reading Materials:
Required: PURCHASE AT THE BOOKSTORE:
Nutrition: An Applied Approach by Thompson and Manore, MyPyramid edition
and accompanying MyDiet Analysis software
Lectures: During class time, we will focus on ideas and concepts that are important and/or require clarification. The lectures will not cover all the material required in each subject. It is expected that the student will also obtain information through the textbook. BRING YOUR TEXTBOOKS TO CLASS.
Attendance: Students should attend every class session. If a student misses a class session, then it is the student's responsibility to obtain the lecture notes, assignments, and materials handed out in class. If a student must miss class due to a prolonged illness or unexpected circumstance, the student should notify the instructor as soon as possible to make arrangements. In-class assignments that are missed due to an unexcused absence cannot be made-up.
Grading: Grades will be tentatively assigned as follows:
4.0 = 95% + 3.4 = 89% 2.8 = 79% 2.2 = 70% 1.6 = 61% 1.0 = 52%
3.9 = 94% 3.3 = 88% 2.7 = 78% 2.1 = 69% 1.5 = 60% 0.9 = 50%
3.8 = 93% 3.2 = 85% 2.6 = 76% 2.0 = 68% 1.4 = 59% 0.8 = 48%
3.7 = 92% 3.1 = 83% 2.5 = 74% 1.9 = 66% 1.3 = 58% 0.7 = 46%
3.6 = 91% 3.0 = 81% 2.4 = 73% 1.8 = 64% 1.2 = 56% 0.6 = 44%
3.5 = 90% 2.9 = 80% 2.3 = 71% 1.7 = 62% 1.1 = 54% 0.5 = 42% etc.
ASSESSMENT / POINTS ASSIGNEDQuizzes: There will be eight quizzes worth 20 points each. The lowest quiz grade will be dropped. There are no make-up quizzes!!! / 140 points
Final Exam: The final exam is scheduled for June 13th and cannot be taken earlier. / 80 points
Projects: There will be two projects worth 60 points each. Projects are due by the beginning of class on the due date. All late projects are subject to a 10% per calendar day penalty. / 120 points
Presentation: One group presentation on selected vitamins and/or minerals. / 60 points
Discussion: Complete readings, contribute to small group discussion, and work with other students to answer discussion questions. Twenty of these points are given for providing a food label, article/discussion topic. / 60 points
TOTAL POSSIBLE POINTS
/ 460 pointsStudents who stop attending class and do not initiate one of the following alternatives will receive a grade of 0.0.
Please take note of the following:
I - Incomplete. Given only to students who perform at or above a passing level (60%) but did not complete a small portion of the course requirements and who wish to complete the course next quarter. Given at the instructor’s discretion
N - Audit. Requires official registration.
NC - No Credit. Student did not fulfill the course requirements. If the overall student performance is 60% or better, a student may request an NC from the instructor PRIOR to the final exam. This grade is granted at the instructor's discretion.
Academic Schedule:
April 2 SPRING QUARTER BEGINS.
April 6 Last day to withdraw with 100% refund (less $5).
April 13 Last day to add/register—instructor permission required. Last day to change audit/credit status
without instructor permission. Last day to withdraw without a “W” appearing on transcript and without instructor permission.
April 20 Last day to withdraw with 50% refund—instructor permission required only at Central.
May 25 Last day to change audit/credit status—instructor permission required.
Last day to withdraw (no refund)—instructor permission required only at Central.
June 15 SPRING QUARTER ENDS
.
Academic Conduct: Cheating, plagiarism and other forms of academic misconduct will not be tolerated. If you are caught
cheating, you will be subject to the maximum form of academic discipline including but not limited to a failing grade on the
assignment/quiz/exam or for the course.
Class conduct:
-The use of cell phones, pagers or other electronic personal communication devices is not permitted during either lecture or laboratory time. Please place all electronic devices on “vibrate.” You will be allowed one infraction. For every incident after that, you will lose 10 points in the course.
-No visitors are allowed in the classroom without the approval of the instructor.
-The use of tape recorders during lecture is permitted as long as the owner is present
Attendance: Attendance is strongly recommended. You are responsible for all of the material covered in lectures and exam questions will be taken mostly from lecture material. If you miss an in-class assignment, you will receive a zero.
Please come to class on time. While occasionally circumstances beyond your control may cause you to be late, habitual
lateness will not be tolerated. Please do not enter the classroom if you are more than 10 minutes late for class as it is very
disruptive. If you are late more than 3 times, I will start subtracting 5 pts/event from your total course score.
Quizzes: There will be a total of 8 quizzes throughout the quarter. Your lowest grades of these eight quizzes will be dropped, therefore, THERE ARE NO MAKE UP QUIZZES. If you miss a quiz, this one will be dropped. A score of zero will be recorded for all subsequent missed quizzes. Quizzes will primarily cover the material covered in the previous week’s lecture but may also cover information from the previous week’s assigned reading(s) in the textbook. The format of the quizzes may be multiple choice, matching, T/F or short answer. The questions will vary in point values, and these values will be noted on the quiz.
Final exam: The final exam will consist of questions on the last section of the course and some comprehensive questions about the course as a whole. The format of the exams will be short answer/essay questions, multiple-choice questions, and fill-in-the-blank questions. Again, questions will vary in point values, and these values will be noted on the exams. Translation devices may not be used during exams.
Grade disputes: if you think you deserve more points on your paper or test, you must state so in writing (mistakes in arithmetic excepted). Type your reasons on a piece of paper and include a passage from the textbook for justification (class notes and class tape recordings not acceptable justification). You must include the original graded assignment with your petition. Only individual disputes will be acknowledged. Arguments made by one student on behalf of another will not be considered. IN ANY DISPUTE, OUR TEXTBOOK WILL BE USED AS FINAL AUTHORITY. Grade disputes must be presented within one week of receiving the graded assignment from me.
After each quiz is returned, there will be a “cooling off” period. With the exception of arithmetic issues, you must save all disputes and/or discussions of the quiz until the next class period.
Class Discussion and class assignments: Participation in group discussions will broaden your depth and understanding of the material presented and other nutrition-related topics. This portion of your grade may include in-class assignments and discussions, and is worth 60 points of your final grade. Attendance is critical for success; if you miss class, you will not receive credit for any in-class assignments. Twenty of the sixty points will be allotted for bringing in a food label, bringing in a nutrition-related article/discussion topic and analysis of your food label/article.
Group presentations:
Throughout the quarter, as a group, you will research and present on vitamin(s) and/or mineral(s) assigned to you by the instructor. For this project, you will work together to develop a lecture that you will present to the class. Each member of the group is responsible for researching one aspect of the topic, developing slides for a 5-10 min Powerpoint presentation on their aspect of the topic, and presenting their slides to the class. The information covered in these presentations should not repeat material already covered in other lectures. You will be graded on the content of the information you present, the effectiveness of your presentation, and your ability to work well in a group. The group presentations will occur in week 5 of the class and are worth 60 points.
Diet Analyses: You will need to keep track of your food intake for a period of one week. Using a dietary software program, you will perform an analysis of your food intake. You will assess your nutrient intake and how it prepares your body for the requirements of life. This assignment is worth 40 points and should contain: 1) a list of food items you ate during the week (list form), 2) the nutritive value of these food items consumed (percentages, total amounts, etc. Can be presented in a table, but should include at least one graph), 3) a commentary on how you are meeting your nutritional requirements (0.5-1 page), and 4) if and how you could change your diet to better meet dietary guidelines (0.5-1 page). Your document should be typed and double spaced.
You will also work with a partner to predict the nutrient intake of an individual who follows a specific diet program (for example, Atkins diet, vegan diet) or limits their diet to one ethnic cuisine (for example, Mediterranean or Vietnamese). You will research the guidelines of your chosen diet, devise hypothetical meals for two days, and use a dietary software program to assess how well this diet meets the body’s nutritive requirements. This assignment is worth 20 points and should contain: 1) a short description of the diet (0.5 page), 2) a list of food items that you predict are eaten over 2 days, 3) the nutritive value of the consumed food items (percentages, total amounts, etc. Can be presented in a table, but should include at least one graph) 4) a commentary on how individuals on this diet meet or fail to meet nutritional requirements (0.5-1 page), and 5) if you think this diet is one that promotes a healthy lifestyle (0.5 page). You and your partner will work together on this project and turn in only one document that is double spaced.
Both the individual diet analysis and partner diet analysis projects are due May 2 at the beginning of class. Late assignments will receive a 10% grade deduction per day and must be physically handed to me.
Article Analysis: Articles about nutrition are frequent in the popular press. For this project, you will need to find an article on an aspect of nutrition (popular diets, health benefits of certain foods or nutrients, genetically modified foods, etc.) and write a 1.5-2 page commentary on it (double spaced). Your article can be from any magazine (Cosmopolitan, The New Yorker, etc.), newspaper, or website, but you must show your article to the instructor before you write a commentary on it. Your analysis should include 1) a summary of the facts/opinions in the article, 2) the article’s sources of information, 3) if the ideas promoted in the article are driven by an “agenda”, 4) if the information presented in the article is consistent with the information in your textbook or other reputable sources (government websites, peer-reviewed literature etc.), and 5) if you believe the information presented in the article. Pages 30-33 of your textbook provide great information toward learning how to evaluate these questions critically.
In class, you will work with a partner on a draft of your analysis to improve your writing and the content of your analysis. You will be graded on 1) your draft, 2) if you provided helpful comments to your peers (your partner and in group discussion), and 3) the final version of the analysis. With the final draft of your analysis, you must turn in a copy of the article and the draft of your analysis with your partner’s comments. This assignment will be due May 30 at the beginning of class. Late papers will receive a 10% grade deduction per day and must be physically handed to me.
Reading: I expect you to have read the textbook BEFORE coming to class. You will find it easier to assimilate the information presented.
Special Assistance: Please let me know if you will need special assistance in any way. This includes physical access to the classroom, ASL interpreters, or extra time to take an exam as organized through Suzanne Sewell. If you are physically or learning challenged, please let me know so that steps can be taken to make the learning environment as comfortable and successful as possible. If you need special arrangements in case the building must be evacuated, please make an appointment with me as soon as possible. Counselors are available to assist you. Suzanne Sewell is the coordinator for differently abled students. She can be contacted at 527-3697 or .