Graduate School of Public Health
San Diego State University
PH496: Food Safety and Health
Fall Semester/09
3 Units
Class day/time:_Tues 4-6:40 pm__
Instructor: _Dr. Eunha Hoh
Class location: _ _________
Office location:_HT 06________________
Schedule number: _22286_______
Instructor office hours: _Tues 2-4:00 pm___
Instructor contact information: ehoh@mail.sdsu.edu
Course Description: This course will introduce risk factors for food borne illness with case
studies of outbreaks occurred domestically and internationally. A wide range of topics related to
food safety on public health will be discussed. .
Course Goals and Learning Objectives:
Students will develop knowledge on risk factors for food borne illness with case studies of
outbreaks and emerging issues on food safety.
Specifically this course will allow the student to
1. Be able to identify food toxins and explain causes and mechanisms of various toxins.
2. Identify the major risk factors for food borne illness and food processing.
3. Conduct an in-depth review of recent foodborne illness outbreaks.
4. Explain the role of government regulation (federal, state, and local) in food safety.
5. Recognize the term Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) as a system for
food protection..
6. Engage in team activities to suggest models or policy issues on food safety and public
health or review emerging issues on food safety.
Prerequisites: No pre-requisite. Basic knowledge about chemistry and microbiology related to
food safety will be covered in the course. This course will focus on overview of food safety and
public health by examining outbreaks.
Text, Readings, Materials:
Essentials of Food Safety and Sanitation, David McSwane, Nancy R. Rue, Richard Linton,
Pearson Prentice Hall, fourth edition.
Principles of Food Sanitation, Norman G. Marriott, Robert B. Gravani, Springer, fifth edition.
Course Requirements, Evaluation and Grading: Grading for the course will be based upon
performance in the following assignments totaling 100% of the final course grade:
1. Exam_-------------------------------40 points
2. Presentation (Team grade) -------20 points
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3. Term paper (Team grade) ------- 20 points
4. Short Assignments/Discussion---10 points
5. Attendance--------------------------10 points
SAMPLE GRADING SCALE TYPICAL OF MANY GSPH GRADUATE COURSE SYLLABI:
Total Points
96-100
90-95
87-89
84-86
80-83
77-79
74-76
70-73
F
Assigned Grade
A
AB+
B
BC+
C
C<70
Exams: Students will have two closed-book, in-class mid-term exams (see schedule). The two
exams are not cumulative and will consist of short-answer, multiple choices, and essay questions
covering both lecture material and readings. [20 points x2= 40 points]
Group Evaluations: Students will be expected to work in teams to develop the program
plan. Student grades for this assignment will take into account evidence of active and equal
participation by each member of the team in addition to teamwork and cooperation. There will be
an overall group grade for the program plan. I will then take into account my own assessment
and your peers’ assessments of your contribution to the project and assign an individual grade.
I will assess work group performance (presentation and paper). In addition, each member of the
work group will grade his/her own performance as well as the performance of all other group
members at two points in the semester using the following criteria with scores from 1 to 5:
Attendance at group meetings
Cooperation
Contribution of ideas
Contribution of materials and work time
Helping plan and organize tasks
Leadership
Team presentation: Each group will present their group work within 20 minutes and have 5
minutes for Q/A. The standard format of presentation will be powerpoint slides but not limited to
the format.
Team paper: 10 pages limit (the reference list as separate, double-spaced, and 12 font size). Use
APA style for all title page, headings, margins, spelling, grammar, references, figures, tables, and
appendices.
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Course Syllabus Subject to Change
Every effort will be made to follow the syllabus content and schedule; however, if circumstances dictate
there may be modifications necessary during the semester. If such is the case the professor will make
every effort to notify students in a timely manner.
Course Calendar
Aug 30
Overview of the course syllabus and ethics.
Overview of food safety: Chapter 1
Film watch (Modern Meat)
Sep 7
Foodborne Illness: Infectious diseases caused by bacteria and viruses in food
Guest speaker: Rick Gersberg
Chapter 2
Sep 14
Foodborne Illness: Infectious diseases caused by microbes in food continued
Chapter 2
Film watch (Typhoid Mary)
First team meeting
Sep 21
Foodborne illness caused by chemicals
Naturally Occurring Chemicals/Man-Made Chemicals
Sep 28
Factors that affect foodborne illness: Chapter 3 & 4
Submit a topic and a short paragraph for a team work
Oct 5
Foodborne illness outbreak case studies:
Oct 12
Foodborne illness outbreak case studies
Oct 19
Midterm exam 1 (75 min)
Film watch: Harvest of Fear
Oct 26
Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) System: a safety assurance
process: Chapter 5
Discuss progress of each team project
Oct 27
Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) System: a safety assurance
process
Nov 2
Food Sanitization:
Team meeting
Nov 9
Food safety regulations: Chapter 11
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Nov 16
Emerging issues: Food processing and technology for food safety,
Genetically modified foods, globalization, climate changes, organic foods, and
food security.
Team meeting
Nov 23
Midterm exam 2
Nov 30
Student presentations –
Dec 7
Student presentations –
Dec 14
Final Report
*Assignments will be announced in blackboard.
Course policies
1. Missing class If you miss a class, it is your responsibility to contact the instructor to discuss
alternatives to exercise you miss, and to obtain lecture notes, handouts, other materials or
instructions from the course Blackboard site. Successful completion of the course requires
that student attend class. Professional behavior will be expected including arriving to
class on time and not leaving early. Perfect attendance may be used to award a higher
grade when students are borderline.
2. Religious holidays The University Policy File includes the following statement on absence for
Religious Observances: By the end of the second week of classes, students should notify the
instructors of affected courses of planned absences for religious observances.
3. Assignments must be submitted no later than the specified due date. Assignments will not be
accepted past the due date. Assignments will be accepted via only digital drop box on
blackboard.
4. Academic misconduct Academic dishonesty is an affront to the integrity of scholarship at SDSU
and a threat to the quality of learning. Violations of academic integrity are noted in the SDSU
Statement of Student Rights and Responsibilities:
Cheating shall be defined as the act of obtaining or attempting to obtain credit for academic work by
the use of dishonest, deceptive, or fraudulent means. Examples of cheating include, but are not limited to
(a) copying, in part or in whole, from another’s test or other examination; (b) discussing answers or ideas
relating to the answers on a test or other examination without the permission of the instructor; (c)
obtaining copies of a test, an examination, or other course material without the permission of the
instructor; (d) using notes, cheat sheets, or other devices considered inappropriate under the prescribed
testing condition; (e) collaborating with another or others in work to be presented without the permission
of the instructor; (f) falsifying records, laboratory work, or other course data; (g) submitting work
previously presented in another course, if contrary to the rules of the course; (h) altering or interfering
with the grading procedures; (i) plagiarizing, as defined; and (j) knowingly and intentionally assisting
another student in any of the above.
Plagiarism shall be defined as the act of incorporating ideas, words, or specific substance of another,
whether purchased, borrowed, or otherwise obtained, and submitting same to the University as one’s own
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work to fulfill academic requirements without giving credit to the appropriate source. Plagiarism shall
include but not be limited to (a) submitting work, either in part or in whole, completed by another; (b)
omitting footnotes for ideas, statements, facts, or conclusions that belong to another; (c) omitting
quotation marks when quoting directly from another, whether it be a paragraph, sentence, or part thereof;
(d) close and lengthy paraphrasing of the writings of another; (e) submitting another person’s artistic
works, such as musical compositions, photographs, paintings, drawings, or sculptures; and (f) submitting
as one’s own work papers purchased from research companies.
Academic and Punitive Sanctions: Cheating and plagiarism in connection with the academic program
at The University may warrant two separate and distinct courses of disciplinary action that may be applied
concurrently in response to a violation of this policy: (a) academic sanctions, such as grade modifications;
and (b) punitive sanctions, such as probation, suspension, or expulsion.
All students in this class are required to complete the online information literacy tutorial,
"Plagiarism: The Crime of Intellectual Kidnapping," a 30-minute tutorial that teaches students about
plagiarism, paraphrasing, and citing sources. Students are to take this tutorial outside of class time and
take the quiz that follows it. They will receive a score on screen that they can print and this printed score
must be submitted as proof of completion by September 21. The tutorial is at
http://infotutor.sdsu.edu/plagiarism/what.cfm?p=graphic
No cell phone/MP3/internet/computer use during class. Violation will affect grades.
5. Writing Style for Assignments All assignments are to be typed and double-spaced.
6. Computers Every student must have access to the internet and a computer in order to obtain
communications from the professor, download reading material and conduct document searches
of on-line publications.
7. If a class must be cancelled without prior notification, it will be posted on Blackboard, the day of
the class, no later than noon.
San Diego State University is dedicated to a safe, supportive and nondiscriminatory environment. It is
the responsibility of all students to familiarize themselves with University policies regarding
nondiscrimination, misconduct and academic honesty.
Statement on Nondiscrimination Policy
San Diego State University complies with the requirements of Title VI and Title VII of the Civil Rights
Act of 1964, as well as other applicable federal and state laws prohibiting discrimination. No person
shall, on the basis of race, color, or national origin be excluded from participation in, be denied the
benefits of, or be otherwise subjected to discrimination in any program of the California State University
SDSU does not discriminate on the basis of disability in admission or access to, or treatment or
employment in, its programs and activities. Students should direct inquiries concerning San Diego State
University’s compliance with all relevant disability laws to the Director of Student Disability Services
(SDS), Calpulli Center, Room 3101, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA 92128 or call 619-5946473 (TDD: 619-594-2929).
SDSU does not discriminate on the basis of sex, gender, or sexual orientation in the educational programs
or activities it conducts.
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More detail on SDSU’s Nondiscrimination Policy can be found in the SDSU General Catalog, University
Policies.
Student Conduct and Grievances
SDSU is committed to maintaining a safe and healthy living and learning environment for students,
faculty and staff. Sections 41301, Standards for Student Conduct, and Sections 41302-41304 of the
University Policies regarding student conduct should be reviewed.
If a student believes that a professor’s treatment is grossly unfair or that a professor’s behavior is clearly
unprofessional, the student may bring the complaint to the proper university authorities and official
reviewing bodies. See University policies on Student Grievances.
Statement on Plagiarism and Academic Dishonesty
Academic dishonesty includes cheating, plagiarism or other forms of academic dishonesty that are
intended to gain unfair academic advantage. See section 41301 of the University policies. Plagiarism is
an important element of this policy. Plagiarism is defined as ‘formal work publicly misrepresented as
original; it is any activity wherein one person knowingly, directly and for lucre, status, recognition, or any
public gain resorts to the published or unpublished work of another in order to represent it as one’s own’.
Any work, in whole or in part, taken from the Internet or other computer-based source without
referencing the source is considered plagiarism.
5/08
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