NUT 390H– Nutrition & Foods of Mexico

MTWRF 12:00-2:30

3 Credit Hours

Course Description 

This course is about the nutrition and foods of Mexico. It addresses foods and food habits of Mexico, food beliefs, current nutrition issues, government food assistance programs, and methods to assess nutrition of people in the community.  Nutrition related Spanish vocabulary is covered. Lectures are conducted in English and discussions are conducted in Spanish.

Course Objectives

1. Identify and compare nutritional composition of foods commonly eaten in Mexico.
2. Identify, compare and contrast natural foods, food ingredients, and processed foods common in the Mexican diet
3. Identify and discuss the main nutrition problems of the Mexican population.
4. Analyze nutrition related beliefs and practices associated with pregnancy, lactation, infancy, diabetes, weight control and general health in Mexico.
5. Demonstrate anthropometric measurements of children and interpret values.
6. Describe different nutrition and other public health programs conducted in Mexico.
7. Compare and contrast food habits of persons in Mexico and those who have immigrated to the US.
8. Demonstrate the use of nutrition vocabulary while discussing nutrition practice in Spanish.

Instructor:        Bruce Rengers, PhD, RD

Email:                brengers@msudenver.edu 

Office Hours:        Before and after class each day

Suggested Readings:

Food Culture in Mexico, Janet Long-Solis & Luis Alberto Vargas.

2005 ISBN 0-33-3241-X

Planet Taco, A Global History of Mexican Food, Jeffery M. Pilcher

2012 ISBN 978-0-19-974006-2

Que Vivan Los Tamales! Food and the Making of Mexican Identity, Jeffery M. Pilcher

1998 ISBN 13: 978-0-8263-1873-2

Course Requirements:

• Weekly Vocabulary/Grammar Quizzes        30%        
• Participation in Conversation (Spanish)         20%
• Participation Cooking Class            15%
• Assignments                                                     25%                        
• Final Exam                                                       10%
• Class Attendance:  Class field trip, excursion and cooking class attendance is required.  If you do not attend 90% of the class including field trips, cooking class or other excursions you will lose 1 letter grade, 85% 2 letter grades, 80% 3 letter grades and 75% you will receive a failing grade.  You will also lose points for lack of participation so your grade may be dropped even further.  Attendance at all scheduled activities is REQUIRED.
• Class Etiquette:  No headphones, cell phones, nor computers may be used in class.  Students who sleep or read unrelated material in class will be asked to leave and will be marked as absent. 
• Grades:            100-90%  =  A

                                 89-80%  =  B        

                                 79-70%  =  C

                                 69-60%  =  D

                                  <60%    =  F

General Assignment Information:
Assignments must be well done as something that would be presented to a supervisor in your career occupation.  Points will be added or subtracted based on how well work is completed including its accuracy and presentation.  Assignments #2 and #3 below must be typed, double spaced, with good grammar and spelling. The assignments must have a well organized theme and thought pattern.

Assignment #1Student Daily log of new expressions related to nutrition and health, new foods, observations on health beliefs, challenges facing Mexicans that affect nutrition and health (8% of grade)

Assignment #2 3 Page paper on a nutrition program or policy in Mexico contrasted with similar policies and programs in the US (8% of grade)

Assignment #3 5 page paper contrasting the views of a students host family with respect to nutrition and health with their own beliefs on the same topics. (9% of grade)

Assignments must be based on scientific nutrition information.  Nutrition is a science. Assignments based on nutrition ‘beliefs’ will lose points and may receive a failing grade.

ORIGINAL WORK SUBMISSION

Students are expected to turn in original work. Reuse of course work from other courses is considered academic dishonesty.

ACADEMIC DISHONESTY

Academic Dishonesty is a serious offense because it diminishes the

quality of the scholarship and learning experience for everyone. An act of

academic dishonesty may lead to penalties such as a reduction in grade,

probation, suspension, or expulsion. The term “plagiarism” includes, but is not

limited to, the use by paraphrase or direct quotations, of the published or

unpublished work of another person without full and clear acknowledgement. It also

includes the unacknowledged use of materials prepared by another person or agency

that may or may not be engaged in the selling of term papers or other academic

materials. Having another person complete your homework, translate your homework or using an electronic translator for assignments are considered academic dishonesty.

COLLEGE/DEPARTMENT POLICY - NCI Notation:

The Incomplete (I) notation may be assigned when a student was unable to take the final examination and/or did not complete all of her/his out-of-class assignments due to unusual circumstances such as hospitalization.  Incomplete work denoted by the "I" notation must be completed within one calendar year or earlier, at the discretion of the faculty member.  If the incomplete work is not completed within one calendar year, the "I" notation will change to an "F." The Incomplete (I) notation may not be awarded in a self-paced course.

ACCOMMODATIONS FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES 

 
The Metropolitan State College of Denver is committed to making reasonable accommodations to assist individuals with disabilities in reaching their academic potential.  If you have a disability which may impact your performance, attendance, or grades in this class and are requesting accommodations, then you must first register with the Access Center, located in the Auraria Library, Suite 116, 303-556-8387.

The Access Center is the designated department responsible for coordinating accommodations and services for students with disabilities. Accommodations will not be granted prior to my receipt of your faculty notification letter from the Access Center.  Please note that accommodations are never provided retroactively (i.e., prior to the receipt of your faculty notification letter.) Once I am in receipt of your official Access Center faculty notification letter, I would be happy to meet with you to discuss your accommodations. All discussions will remain confidential.  Further information is available by visiting the Access center website www.mscd.edu/~access.

For programs outside the United States the ability to accommodate students with certain disabilities may not be possible.  As part of the application process for this program students were asked if they had any disabilities that required accommodation in order to ascertain Metro’s ability to accommodate student disabilities during this program. Accommodation of any disability would have to be made before the beginning of the program.

COLLEGE/DEPARTMENT POLICY – Email:

1. College use of electronic communication:
   E-mail and personal portal announcements are an official means of communication to students, faculty and staff within MSCD. Therefore, the College has the right to send communications to students, faculty and staff via e-mail and personal portal announcements and the right to expect that those communications will be received and read in a timely fashion.
2. Assignment of portal accounts which includes e-mail addresses:
   Every current student, faculty and staff member are automatically provided with a portal account, which includes an assigned e-mail address. The e-mail address assigned to each student, faculty and staff member, as recorded in the Banner System, will be the official e-mail address of record for communications with students, faculty and staff. Students, faculty and staff members will be deemed to have read e-mails sent to that address. Constituents are also responsible for reading any official announcements delivered through personal announcements channel on each user’s portal home page.
3. Expectations regarding use of portal announcements and e-mail:
   Students, faculty and staff are expected to check personal portal announcements and their official Metro e-mail address inbox on a frequent and consistent basis in order to stay current with College communications. Students, faculty and staff have the responsibility to recognize that certain communications may be time-critical.

COLLEGE/DEPARTMENT POLICY - NC Notation:

Below is Metro’s policy regarding NC and tuition reimbursement.  Because this program is a condensed 4 week program the time frames are shortened. Please talk to the instructor if you have questions about the time frames or you can contact Susan Call at Metro by email.

1. The NC notation shall be available to students in all instances through the 10th week of classes for fall and spring semesters.

2. Students are responsible for logging on to MetroConnect and indicating an NC for the appropriate courses.

3. Under no circumstances can an NC request be processed following the end of the 10th week of a 16-week semester (11:59 p.m. on the Friday of the 10th week of the semester submitted electronically).

4. Proportional time frames are applied for modular courses, weekend courses, workshops, and summer terms.

Students can still apply for a tuition refund using the Tuition and Fees Appeal Form if the NC was necessary due to extenuating circumstances such as illness, a death in the family or employment changes beyond their control.

This policy is included in the online College Catalog in the Academic Policies and Procedures section: http://catalog.mscd.edu/content.php?catoid=2&navoid=62.

COLLEGE/DEPARTMENT POLICY - Class Attendance on Religious Holidays:

1.        Students who, because of their sincerely held religious beliefs, are unable to attend classes, take examinations, participate in graded activities, or submit graded assignments on a particular day shall, without penalty, be excused from such classes and be given a meaningful opportunity to make up such examinations and graded activities or assignments provided that advance written notice that the student will be absent for religious reasons is given to faculty members during the first day of class.

2.        Nothing in the above policy shall require MSCD faculty members to reschedule classes, repeat lectures or other upgraded activities, or provided un-graded individualized instruction solely for the benefit of students who for religious reasons, are unable to attend regularly scheduled classes or activities.  However, presentations, critiques, conferences, and similar activities involving individual students shall be scheduled to avoid conflicts with such students' religious observances or holidays, provided that reasonable advance notice of scheduling conflicts is given to faculty members.

3.        Because classroom attendance and participation is an important aspect of learning, MSCD students should not register for courses if regularly scheduled classes or activities routinely conflict with their religious observances of holidays (e.g., conflicts resulting in weekly absences for an entire semester).

4.        Any MSCD student who believes that an MSCD faculty member has violated this policy is entitled to seek relief under section VII of the MSCD Affirmative Action Plan.

Please note that you MUST advise the professor on the first day of class of any religious holidays that you will be observing that will impact your ability to attend class, field trips, etc.

Daily Schedule:  (tentative and subject to change)

This schedule includes classes, field trips and excursions with Spanish class also.