Department of Interdisciplinary
Studies
Nutrition and the Lifespan
DENH1221
Course Description
Nutrition and the Lifespan outlines life cycle nutrition including pregnancy and lactation, infancy,
childhood and adolescence, the adult and the later years. Nutrition needs at various stages of the
lifespan are stressed, and additional topics include complementary and alternative medicine, hunger
and the global environment, and consumer concerns about food and water including the Servsafe®
food handler course and exam. Applying the science of nutrition to the lifespan including
prevention of chronic disease, food safety and biotechnology, and environmentally-friendly food
choices will be explored..
Credits/Modes of Instruction
This is a 3 credit undergraduate course, in a lecture or online format that relies on regular activities,
assignments, and completion of weekly topics.
Prerequisites
The pre-requisites course includes DENH 1220 Scientific Principles of Nutrition
Instructor
The instructor will be a Rutgers, SHRP faculty (or adjunct) member. The program director the
Health Sciences Careers Program is Suzanne D’Anna at dannase@shrp.rutgers.edu.
Course Goals and Objectives:
Goals
The goal of this course is to provide the student with the basic knowledge of the science of nutrition
and its application in the lifespan and in the prevention of disease.
Objectives
The objectives of this course will be met via class lecture/presentations, required readings,
assignments, and group discussions.
1. Students will demonstrate an understanding of the relationship of nutrition and the
prevention of disease across the lifespan.
2. Students will be able to determine nutrient needs and plan a healthy diet for individuals
at various stages of life.
3. Students will demonstrate knowledge of consumer concerns about environmentallyfriendly food choices, and food and water safety.
4. Students will participate in the Servsafe® food handler course and exam.
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Course Requirements
Requirements for Completion
Attendance at all class sessions will be necessary to keep up with the course. Understanding
Nutrition is the required text. Readings will be assigned each week. Homework assignments
include projects, weekly review questions, case studies, reports, and group projects/discussions.
Unit quiz’s and the final exam will be based on class content and assigned readings.
Requirements
Weight
Homework assignments
10%
Attendance/Participation/Group
Discussion/Servsafe® food handler exam
15%
Unit Quiz’s
60%
Final Examination
15%
Total
100%
Evaluation and Grading
Grade Determination
The minimum level of satisfactory performance in this course is a ‘C’ or better. To receive a ‘C’ or
better, students must first complete ALL course requirements specified above, including meeting
the minimum attendance expectation. Students will also be given the opportunity to evaluate the
course at the completion of the semester.
Upon successful completion of the course with a final high school grade of a “C” the student
will be eligible to take the Rutgers, School of Health Related Professions Health Science
Careers standardized exam to determine college credit.
High school students must attain a C (74) or better on the Scientific Principals of Nutrition
standardized exam to earn college credits.
Nutrition and the Lifespan - 50% Rutgers SHRP standardized exam grade + 50% high school
grade = Rutgers SHRP grade listed on transcript.
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Health Science Careers Program
Grading System
Weighted
Average of All
Requirements
Final
Letter
Grade
94-100
A
90-93
A-
87-89
B+
84-86
B
80-83
B-
77-79
C+
74-76
C
Unsatisfactory Performance/Progress
Unsatisfactory performance which may include late assignments, failing grades, and/or attendance
or progress problems will be discussed individually on an as needed basis.
Honor Code and Academic Integrity
(Refer to your Rutgers, SHRP Student Handbook at
http://shrp.rutgers.edu/current_students/handbook.pdf)
The faculty of Rutgers, School of Health Related Professions believe that students must observe and
support high standards of honesty and integrity. For this reason, all students in this course are
expected to abide by the School's Honor Code and uphold its Code of Academic Integrity. As
described in detail in your Student Handbook, violations of the Code of Academic Integrity include
cheating, plagiarism, fabrication and/or academic misconduct. All such violations will be
considered with gravest concern and may be punishable with sanctions as severe as suspension or
dismissal. If you have not previously affirmed the School's Honor Code (either in writing or
electronically), you must submit a signed and dated copy of the Honor Code to the instructor by the
end of the first week of the semester. The Honor Code form is provided in the current Rutgers,
SHRP Student Handbook.
Couse Evaluation
The efficacy and quality of the course will be evaluated using multiple measures including results of
quizzes and exams as well as anonymous student evaluations.
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General Learning Resources
Required Textbook(s)
Whitney, E., Rolfes, S. Understanding Nutrition, 13th edition. Belmont: Wadsworth Publishing
Co. 2013.
Textbook ISBN-10: 1-133-58752-6
Textbook ISBN-13: 978-1-133-58752-1
Special Enrollment Requirements
A basic understanding of the online Course Management System (CMS) platform, Moodle and
computer skills are required in order to complete the assignments. The course and a brief
introduction to the major features of Moodle are available at: http://moodle.rutgers.edu using your
regular University log-on information.
Course Units/Schedule
Note: this schedule is a plan only, subject to change by the instructor as deemed necessary to
achieve the course goals. Whenever possible, you will be notified in advance of any changes,
especially those affecting course requirements or grading.
Unit
Unit 1
(Weeks
1-2)
Topical Outline
Activities/Assignments
Life Cycle Nutrition:
Pregnancy and Lactation
Text Chapter 15
Review questions (text)
Highlight: Fetal alcohol
syndrome
Unit 2
(Weeks
3-4)
Unit quiz
Infancy, Childhood and
Adolescence
Highlight: Vegetarian
Diets
Unit 3
(Weeks
5-6)
Unit 4
(Weeks
Unit quiz
Adulthood and Later
Years.
Evaluation
In-class or online
participation
Review assignment
Review unit
Text Chapter 16
Quiz
Review questions (text)
In-class or online
participation
Homework
Homework completion
Review unit
Text Chapter 17
Quiz
Review questions (text)
In-class or online
participation
Highlight: Nutrient-Drug
Interactions
Homework
Homework completion
Unit quiz
Diet and Health
Review Units
Text Chapter 18
Quiz
In-class or online
4
7-8)
Highlight:
Complementary and
Alternative Medicine
Review questions (text)
participation
Homework
Homework completion
Unit 5
(Weeks
9-11)
Unit quiz
Consumer Concerns
about Water and
including Servsafe® food
handler course
Review units
Text Chapter 19
Quiz
In-class or online
participation
Review questions (text)
Homework completion
Homework
Highlight: Food safety
and biotechnology
Unit quiz and Servsafe®
food handler exam
Unit 6
(Weeks
12-13)
(Week
14)
Protein: Hunger and the
Global Environment
Servsafe® food handler
course
Review unit
Review food handler
course
Text Chapter 20
Review questions (text)
Highlight:
Environmentally-Friendly Homework:
Food Choices
Unit quiz
FINAL EXAM
Review unit
Quiz
Servsafe® food handler
exam
In-class or online
participation
Homework completion
Quiz
5