Perspectives on the Liberal Arts and Sciences: Course Proposal Narrative
General Education Advisory Committee
Queens College, City University of New York
Course Title: FNES 163 General Nutrition
Primary Contact Name and Email: Sunitha Jasti, sunitha.jasti@qc.cuny.edu
Date course was approved by department: 27 October 2008
Justification
Please describe how the course will address criteria for Perspectives on the Liberal Arts and Sciences courses.
Be sure to include an explanation of the course’s specific learning goals for students to make a connection between these
and the general criteria for Perspectives courses.
Description: Fundamental principles of normal nutrition and their application to the selection of adequate
diets for individuals and families.
Learning Objectives:
1. To understand application of scientific method to acquisition and evaluation of nutrition knowledge.
2. To understand the role of nutrition in health promotion and disease prevention.
3. To understand the characteristics of healthful dietary patterns in different cultures and societies.
4. To learn to use nutrition tools such as food labels and MyPyramid.
5. To understand the basis for national nutrition policy and priorities.
6. To obtain knowledge of utilization of nutrients in the body.
7. To know where to look for reliable sources of nutrition information and to learn how to evaluate
articles, ads, and /or menus found in magazines, newspapers, and other popular sources.
Strategies used to assess students’ learning include class discussions, exams and assignments.
The course meets the first 3 criteria of a perspective course.
1. Be designed to introduce students to how a particular discipline creates knowledge and understanding.
The course includes discussion of scientific research process that forms the basis for nutrition knowledge. Students
will understand application of scientific method to acquisition and evaluation of nutrition knowledge.
2. Position the discipline(s) within the liberal arts and the larger society.
The course objectives include understanding the role of nutrition in health promotion and disease prevention; and
understanding the basis for national nutrition policy, which are all fundamental aspects of the healthier society.
3. Address the goals defined for the particular Area(s) of Knowledge the course is designed to fulfill.
See course objectives above (under course description)
Furthermore, the course meets the following criteria
4. Be global or comparative in approach?
For every topic area, the course includes a discussion of variations in global dietary patterns.
7. Reveal the existence and importance of change over time?
Change in national nutrition policy based on new scientific evidence is discussed.
8. How does the course use primary documents and materials?
The course draws upon estimates from national survey data on disease prevalence and dietary intakes.
May 2008
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Criteria Checklist
Please be sure that your justification addresses all three criteria 1-3, below. For criteria 4-8, please check all that apply
and discuss these in your justification.
A Perspectives course must:
1. Be designed to introduce students
to how a particular discipline creates
knowledge and understanding.
2. Position the discipline(s) within
the liberal arts and the larger society.
3. Address the goals defined for the
particular Area(s) of Knowledge the
course is designed to fulfill.
May 2008
In addition, a Perspectives course will, where appropriate to its
discipline(s) and subject matter:
XX4. Be global or comparative in approach.
5. Consider diversity and the nature and construction of forms
of difference.
6. Engage students in active inquiry.
XX7. Reveal the existence and importance of change over time.
XX8. Use primary documents and materials.
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Course Materials, Assignments, and Activities
Please provide an annotated list of course readings and descriptions of major assignments or exams for the course, as well
as distinctive student activities that will engage students in working toward the course goals discussed in the course
description and/or justification.
Please include the author and title for each reading or text, along with a short description providing information about how
the reading will contribute to course goals.
Textbook: A college level introductory textbook of nutrition for non-majors is appropriate for this course. An
example is - Sizer, F. & Whitney, E. (2006) Nutrition: Concepts & Controversies, 10th ed., Thomson Wadsworth,
Belmont, CA.
Course exams usually include multiple choice and short answer questions to test the students’ learning of course
concepts. Assignments are designed to encourage active learning of application of nutritional principles. Two
examples are given below.
Assignment 1: Assessment of student’s own diet using MyPyramid, a nutritional tool developed by U.S Department
of Agriculture. Students record all foods and beverages consumed over a 24-hour period, including the amounts.
Using dietary recommendations from mypyramid.gov website, they evaluate their 24-hr diet and write up the
assessment in 1-2 pages. Assessment should address adequacy of food group intakes, nutrient density of food
selections from each food group, whether the diet met dietary guidelines and suggestions for improvements.
Assignment 2: Student has to comprehend food label samples provided and answer questions that include calculations
of nutrient amounts and comparison between products.
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Assessment
Perspectives courses must be recertified every five years, and we are seeking ideas for how to best carry out this
assessment. What forms of evidence that the course is meeting its goals as a Perspectives course would be appropriate to
collect for this course during the next five years? How would you prefer assessment to be conducted? How might
evidence of effective teaching and student learning be collected and evaluated?
A targeted survey that evaluates perspectives criteria should be designed by the PLAS committee, which
can be administered by departments offering PLAS courses.
Student performance demonstrated in formal assessments may serve as evidence of effective teaching and
student learning.
Administration
What process will your department develop to oversee this course, suggest and approve changes, and conduct assessment?
Who will be in charge of this process? Also indicate whether the course will be primarily taught by full-time or adjunct
faculty, or by a combination of the two types of instructor.
FNES 163 is taught by a combination of full-time and adjunct faculty. The nutrition committee comprised
of nutrition faculty members (Susan Braverman, Sunitha Jasti, Ashima Kant, Pat Miner) regularly meets to
review the appropriateness of course outlines and syllabi. Decisions regarding changes to the course outline
or materials are communicated to all faculty members who teach the course. The nutrition committee is in
charge of this process. The FNES department also participates in course evaluation procedures that include
student evaluations and faculty peer evaluations for all sections of this course every semester that it is
offered, which also contribute to the assessment process.
May 2008
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