COURSE SYLLABUS
COURSE INFORMATION:
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Colloquium
Food
Safety: Fads, Facts and Politics
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11:400:422
3 Credits
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CONTACT INFORMATION:
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Instructor(s): Click
D r . Chitra
Office Location: Food Science 315- C
Office Hours: Immediately after class or by a p p o i n t m e n t
Phone: 848-932-5452
Email: ponnusamy@aesop.rutgers.edu
COURSE MATERIALS:
Contemporary or classic food safety book as assigned.
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This course provides an integrative educational experience where students from different disciplinary
backgrounds work cooperatively on interdisciplinary problems related to foods.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
The major goal of this course is to, while addressing current food-related issues, help students
develop critical thinking skills, numerical literacy, and other skills that will be important after
graduation. In particular, students will:
• Take responsibility for their own learning.
• Develop the skills needed to evaluate claims made in print, television, and the web.
• Work with others of diverse skills and backgrounds as part of an interdisciplinary team.
• Create an “outcome” of the learning that conveys what the student has learned.
ASSIGNMENTS/RESPONSIBILITIES & ASSESSMENT:
Participation and group work comprise a major portion of the grade. Although several class periods
are reserved for work on group projects, students also need to work on these outside of class and on
their own time. Because the course format is largely experiential rather than lecture/regurgitation,
what happens in the class is very much a function of all of our experiences and class interactions.
Students are assessed based on writing assignments, group projects, participation, and exams;
weighted as determined by the class at the beginning of the semester. The instructor is assessed by
student surveys and exit interviews.
COURSE SYLLABUS
OTHER INFORMATION:
Students will be responsible for adhering to the academic integrity policies found at
http://academicintegrity.rutgers.edu.
It is important that students have the tools to succeed in this course. Please see the instructor *as soon
as possible* with any difficulties or questions regarding the course materials. In addition, the Office of
Student Affairs is available at http://studentaffairs.rutgers.edu for any other needs or concerns.
COURSE SCHEDULE:
(The time devoted to each topic is as needed.)
- Academic integrity and professional ethics
- Primer on microbial food safety
- Current issues in food safety
- Critical thinking skills and numerical literacy
- Issues in biotechnology
- Read, compare, and discuss "The Jungle" and "Fast Food Nation"
- Debunking internet sites, comparing sources of information
- Student analysis of internet sites
- "How to work in a group"
- Time to work on student projects
- Presentation of student projects
- Critique of class, presentations, and exit interviews