Syllabus

Master of Science in Applied Nutrition

APN 707 Dietary Practices and the Environment Studies (Fall A 2022)

Credits - 3

Description

Diets, dietary practices, food choice, and food patterns will be examined through the lens of sustainability at local, national and global levels. Consumer choices and their impact on food webs and global food systems will be explored through analyzing the various inputs, outputs, and outcomes of food choices. Nutrient availability and nutritional status associated with a variety of dietary types will be considered through the context of dietary effects on personal and environmental health. Topics include policy, socioeconomic, cultural and ethical impacts of a variety of diets/dietary choices.

Materials

Learning Objectives and Outcomes

By the end of this course, students will be able to:

1. Discuss the historical development of an unsustainable food system in North America.
2. Evaluate the environmental sustainability of traditional diets worldwide and how they can meet nutritional needs.
3. Describe the impact on biodiversity and food systems of big agribusiness and the consumer food choices that drive it.
4. Compare the economic, cultural, nutritional, and environmental effects of global vs. local food systems.
5. Identify the dietary composition of Western-style diets that can affect communities in developing countries, for instance, increase waste and pollution, and affect population health and quality of life in developing countries.
6. Assess emerging issues of climate change brought about by food production and agricultural practices.
7. Compare nutritional adequacy and environmental impacts of specific dietary patterns available in developed countries, including a Western, “prudent”, Mediterranean, vegetarian, and vegan diet.
8. Analyze current U.S. agricultural policies in relation to environmental stewardship and human health. 
9. Discuss the limitations of technology as a means to solve food-related environmental problems.
10. Create an action plan to improve the quality and environmental sustainability of their personal diet and emphasize sustainability in their professional activities.

Program Competencies addressed:

1. Develop and utilize nutrition concepts and best-practices for nutrition and health promotion initiatives
2. Apply core research principles to measure the nutrition status and environment of individuals and communities
3. Develop communications and collaboration strategies with representatives from government, non-profit, community, and business entities regarding nutrition initiatives.

Assignments

Written Assignments

Action Plan for Sustainability

Each week throughout the course, you will be asked to identify at least one personal and one professional action step you can take to translate the information you learn from theory to practice. This course contains a lot of weighty information, and it’s important to walk away with an empowering plan for what you can do to make a positive difference in creating a sustainable future. 

You will complete your action steps in the template below and update the document each week. We encourage you to post your action steps somewhere visible in your home as specific goals that you set for yourself. When defining your personal and professional action steps, try to use a SMART goals format (Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Relevant, Time-Limited).

Comparison of Emerging Agricultural Practices

Many emerging farming practices exist to address problems of environmental health caused by modern agriculture or other human activity. This assignment asks you to choose a problem and then research two practices that aim to address it. Assess their benefits and drawbacks, and compare their relative effectiveness in addressing a specific environmental problem.

Key Assessment: Dietary Quality and Sustainability Analysis and Presentation

Background: Identifying and promoting dietary patterns that maximize overall diet quality and health outcomes within ecologically viable parameters is essential for environmental sustainability.  A challenge to accomplishing this, however, is the consumer lack of sufficient information/understanding of environmental effects in relation to dietary choices.

Purpose: The objective of the Key Assessment is to create an educational slide presentation targeted to a lay audience that focuses on the environmental impacts of dietary choices in one of the following areas. You will select the area of focus you find most compelling, or that would be best suited to deliver in a professional setting you have access to or could cultivate. 

• Water use
• Health of freshwater or ocean systems
• Land use 
• Pollution
• Greenhouse gas emissions
• Food waste

You will also use your own diet to demonstrate the impact of individual food choices on dietary quality and environmental sustainability and to illustrate the power of specific dietary changes. 

The Dietary Environmental Index (DEX) research presented in Week 7 offers a comprehensive database of foods commonly consumed in the United States that catalogues both nutritional and environmental impact information for each food item, and applies these to the calculation of a dietary and environmental assessment score for individual foods.

Letter to Legislators

Write a letter to two legislative representatives of yours addressing an agricultural policy that does not support planetary health. Use the information you have learned in this course and write a compelling letter of concern, based on scientific evidence, with a positive, respectful tone. 

Share your concerns about a national policy that may pose barriers to controlling climate change or create problems for human health, food security, ecological diversity, or pollution. Be sure to provide several suggestions that legislators can take to work towards solutions, informed by current policies that are effective in addressing these issues.

Discussions

In this course, there are weekly discussions.

You will be required to participate in discussions. Initial posts are due on Sundays, and responses are due by Tuesday. If the initial post and response are not submitted within the discussion week you will be given a zero. Posts submitted after the discussion week will not be graded. 

Your success in the course relies on robust discussion, critical thinking, and peer-response. Weekly posts responding to prompts posed are meant to facilitate a deeper understanding of the broader themes of the course as well as enrich the readings, handouts, and lectures. Your initial response should be no less than 400 words. Peer-responses should be no less than 200 words and must be thoughtful, contain compliments as well as constructive criticism, and maintain a professional tone.

Furthermore, in regard to all assignments, please observe the following:

• All assignments must be completed using AMA formatting where appropriate.
• All times refer to Eastern Time (ET).

Grading Policy

Your grade in this course will be determined by the following criteria:

Grade Breakdown