Course Syllabus

FDNT 10: Elementary Nutrition 
Section 2453- Course Syllabus

Course Description

This course is…an introductory nutrition course designed to help you learn about the basic science of nutrients, how the human body uses these nutrients, what foods are good sources of these nutrients, and how to plan your diet to be optimally healthy. You will also learn how the needs for these nutrients change depending on your age and your physiology (e.g. pregnancy, physical activity, etc.).  And finally, learn how the world is changing with respect to your food supply and what the implications are for your diet and health.

Student Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course you will have learned to…

  • Determine nutritional adequacy of a given diet and make scientifically appropriate recommendations for improvement for health promotion and disease prevention.
  • Critically evaluate consumer nutrition issues.
  • Use scientific principles to evaluate emerging nutrition information and nutrition fads.

This course is UC/CSU transferable and fulfills an Area C (Natural Science) requirement for an Associate Degree at Santa Rosa Junior College.  It also fulfills requirements for the Dental Hygiene/Assisting/Nursing programs at SRJC. 

Class Meetings

All material and activities be offered asynchronously, meaning you can access them anytime.

Instructor Contact

Jill Harrison, RD 

Email: jharrison@santarosa.edu 

Phone: (707) 521-6947

Office Hours: Mondays and Wednesdays 10-12am

I respond to emails with 24 hours.

Course Web Site

Students will use the Canvas course web site for assignment instructions, submitting assignments, viewing classmate's work, sharing resources, and viewing grades.

Textbook

Nutrition Concepts and Controversies

  • Edition: 15th
  • ISBN: 9780357068465
  • Author: Sizer
  • Publisher: Cengage Learning

You can locate and order textbooks online via the SRJC Bookstore. Note that if you want to pick your books up in Petaluma, you need to order them from the Petaluma Bookstore website.

Required Software

You will need the following software for this course.

  • Adobe Reader
  • Open Office
  • Cengage Diet and Wellness Plus for Diet Analysis Project.  Details to follow on Canvas.  Cost is $30 if you buy it separately or it comes with the purchase of a new textbook. 

Important Dates

Day Class Begins: August 17th

Day Class Ends: December 11th 

Last Day to Add without instructor's approval: August 23rd

Last Day to Add with instructor's approval: September 6th

Last Day to Drop without a 'W' symbol: September 6th

Last Day to Drop with a 'W' symbol: November 15th

Dropping the Class

If you decide to discontinue this course, it is your responsibility to officially drop it to avoid getting no refund (after 10% of course length), a W symbol (after 20%), or a grade (after 60%). Also, for several consecutive, unexplained absences, the instructor may drop a student.

Pass‐NoPass (P/NP)

You may take this class P/NP. You must decide before the deadline, and add the option online with TLC or file the P/NP form with Admissions and Records. With a grade of C or better, you will get P.

You must file for the P/NP option by September 6th. Once you decide to go for P/NP, you cannot change back to a letter grade. If you are taking this course as part of a certificate program, you can probably still take the class P/NP. Check with a counselor to be sure.

Instructor Announcements and Q&A Forum

The instructor will post announcements on the “Instructor Announcements” page in Canvas throughout the semester. Canvas notifies students according to their preferred Notification Preferences as soon as the instructor creates an Announcement. A “Q&A Forum” is also on Canvas to ask for assistance of your classmates or of instructor.

Attendance

Students who fail to attend the first class (face-to-face courses) or do not log-in to an online class after the second day of the semester will be dropped from the class. It is strongly advised that if you need to miss more than one class/homework deadline in a row that you contact me to avoid being dropped from the class.

Late Policy

All assignments are due at 11:59pm on the due date. A late submission will receive a 20% penalty. Submissions more than one week late are not accepted without prior arrangement. Late work will not be graded unless student sends instructor an email with URL for late work.

Exams

There will be  four online exams. The material comes from the textbook, class lectures and supplemental materials. If any exam is missed, a zero will be recorded as the score. It is your responsibility to take the online exams by the due date. There is no make up for the final exam.

Grading Policy

Visit the “Grades” in Canvas to keep track of your grades. I grade once a week and post grades and comments on the online Canvas gradebook

Sixteen 10 point assignments                       160

Sixteen Discussions 5 points each                 80

Sixteen Quizzes 10 points each                    160

Food Record and Dietary Analysis

Part 1: 10 points

Part 2: 15 points

Part 3: 50 points

Part 4: 25 points                                               100 total

Final Exam (cumulative)                               125

Total                                                                         625      points

Grades will be assigned as follows:

A

90%

560 points or more

B

80%

 499 to 559 points

C

70%

436 to 493 points

D

60%

374 to 431 points

If taking Pass/No Pass you need at least 70% of the total class points and complete the midterm exam and the final exam to pass the class.

Lecture Schedule and Reading Assignments

August 17-August 30 Week 1 and 2 Nutrition Science and Guidelines  Chapter 1 and 2
August 31 Week 3 Digestion and Absorption

Chapter 3
September 7 Week 4 Carbohydrates and Diabetes Chapter 4
September 14 Week 5 Lipids and Heart Disease Chapter 5
September 21 Week 6 Protein and Veg Diets Chapter 6
September 28 Week 7 Vitamins Chapter 7
October 5 Week 8 Minerals and Hypertension  Chapter 8
October 12 Week 9 Trace Minerals and Water  Chapter 8
October 19 Week 10 Energy Balance, Non-Diet Approach and Eating Disorders

Chapter 9

 
October 26 Week 11

Pregnancy and Breastfeeding

 

Chapter 13

 
November 2 Week 12 Infant Feeding, Elderly Nutrition

Chapter 14
November 9 Week 13

Sports Nutrition

 

Chapter 10

 
November 16 Week 14 Alcohol and Caffeine

Chapter 3 Controversy pg 100-112
November 23 Week 15 Cancer

Chapter 11 pg 449-458
November 30 Week 16 Food safety and Food waste

Chapter 15
December 7 Week 17  Organic and GMO

Chapter 12

 

Standards of Conduct

Students who register in SRJC classes are required to abide by the SRJC Student Conduct Standards. Violation of the Standards is basis for referral to the Vice President of Student Services or dismissal from class or from the College. See the Student Code of Conduct page.

Collaborating on or copying of tests or homework in whole or in part will be considered an act of academic dishonesty and result in a grade of 0 for that test or assignment. I encourage students to share information and ideas, but not their work. See these links on Plagiarism:
SRJC Writing Center Lessons on avoiding plagiarism
SRJC's policy on Academic Integrity

 

Other Important Policies and Practices

Avoid Plagiarism Like the, er, Plague

Although most students have likely heard about plagiarism during their years of schooling, it still is prevalent-even in higher education.

The video below reviews what plagiarism is and how not to do it.

Plagiarism: How to avoid it

Netiquette, or Why Is It Harder to Be Polite Online?

Netiquette refers to using common courtesy in online communication. All members of the class are expected to follow netiquette in all course communications. Use these guidelines:

  • Use capital letters sparingly. THEY LOOK LIKE SHOUTING.
  • Forward emails only with a writer's permission.
  • Be considerate of others' feelings and use language carefully.
  • Cite all quotations, references, and sources (otherwise, it is plagiarism).
  • Use humor carefully. It is hard to "read" tone; sometimes humor can be misread as criticism or personal attack. Feel free to use emoticons like :) for a smiley face to let others know you are being humorous.
  • Use complete sentences and standard English grammar to compose posts. Write in proper paragraphs. Review work before submitting it.
  • Text speak, such as "ur" for "your" or "ru" for "are you" etc., is only acceptable when texting.

Special Needs

Students with disabilities who believe they need accommodations in this class are encouraged to contact Disability Resources (527-4278), as soon as possible to better ensure such accommodations are implemented in a timely fashion.