Food For Thought: Personal to Global Perspectives on Nutrition

Course Description

This course is designed specifically for English Language Learners interested in further developing their English skills in a challenging college-level academic setting.

How does the food people eat impact their bodies? The internet, family members, friends and the media may tell us different things, but what does the evidence say? Further, what do public health nutrition-based interventions look like and are they effective? Using a global, public health lens, students in this course will gain a better understanding of the intersections of nutrition, health, poverty and the importance of credible sources of information.

Students will explore current research related to the human need of macronutrients and micronutrients to survive and function and will discuss sources, main functions and deficiency syndromes of each.

While public health is the study of population health and how disease can be prevented and life prolonged, both epidemiology (which investigates the distribution and determinants of health conditions) and interventions (designed to positively impact health conditions) are essential components of public health research and will be investigated in this course.

Students will examine the relationship between the food we eat and both infectious and chronic diseases. From micronutrient deficiencies to obesity, students will also learn about public health interventions used to combat a range of nutrition related problems. As a part of this process, students will be introduced to study design and the ways that diet is often measured.

Finally, students will critique the ways in which nutrition related information is conveyed in the global media, conduct a dietary assessment, and even design their own public health nutrition intervention!

By the end of this course, students will be able to:
- Understand how nutrients are consumed through foods
- Discuss and understand the broad impact that the food has on human health outcomes
- Think critically about the quality and credibility of studies and their evidence
- Identify important aspects of successful public health nutrition interventions

Prerequisites: This course does not have any prerequisites.