Syllabus
Master of Science in Applied Nutrition
APN 710 Media and Ethics in Nutrition – Spring 2019
Credits - 3
Description
Media organizations, their audiences, and the ethics of advertising will be examined. Best-practices, transparency, and risk mediation in advertising will be explored. Topics include communicating with potential clients in both industry and non-profit sectors, seeking grant funding for nutrition initiatives, accuracy in advertising, privacy and trust, and their application within the context of nutrition and wellness settings.
Materials
Learning Objectives and Outcomes
Program Outcomes
- Develop and utilize nutrition concepts and best-practices for health promotion initiatives within the context of media, ethics, and grant funding.
- Interpret and modify complex explanations of nutrition concepts for various audiences.
- Research, develop, and disseminate evidence-based and theory driven deliverables/work products at an audience appropriate level for topics related to nutrition and health promotion.
- Create Integrated Marketing Communication ROI plans with a focus on nutritional branding.
Course Objectives
- Explore the ethics of advertising: Accuracy, Best practices, Transparency, Risk mediation
- Employ principles of ethics in social media as they apply to nutrition and wellness
- Develop business assets for a competitive nutrition and wellness market
- Evaluate strategies for the ability to increase return on investment (ROI) in multimedia campaigns for health and wellness
- Gain an understanding of media organizations and their audiences
- Master core tenets of moral reasoning and ethical perspectives
Assignments
Potter Box Worksheet:
In week 2, you will complete a Potter Box Worksheet. With your initiative in mind, you will use the Potter Box method to analyze the ethical dilemmas that you may encounter.
ROI Worksheet:
In week 5, you will complete an ROI Worksheet. Relying on the week 5 readings, you will complete a timeline using Facebook analytics measures.
Grant Funding Worksheet:
In week 6, you will complete a Grant Funding Worksheet. The goal is to communicate your funding strategy adequately, including viable funding options for your initiative.
Key Assessment: Quimby Concept Paper/LOI:
Your Key Assessment for the course will be due in week 7. Using what you’ve learned throughout the course, you will complete a Concept Paper/LOI that makes a clear and compelling case for the wellness initiative.
Discussion Board:
You will be required to participate in discussions. Initial posts are due on Sundays, and responses are due by Wednesday. 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 a 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 compliment as well as constructive criticism, and maintain a professional tone.
Specific statements about nutrition and health outcomes should be supported appropriately with citations of peer-reviewed research.
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).
- All questions about assignments and all questions, in general, should be sent through email.
Writing Statement
As professionals in the field, you will consistently be expected to clearly and concisely articulate advanced concepts for diverse audiences at a variety of educational levels.
Graduate students are expected to produce their best quality work, including screening their work prior to submission for clarity, grammatical, spelling, formatting and mechanical issues.
While there is often a portion of each assignment’s rubric dedicated specifically to grammar, spelling, mechanics, and formatting, it is critical to understand that failure to submit work that has been adequately proofed may result in a reduction of points in other areas of the rubric. These may include, but are not limited to metrics rating professionalism or content knowledge and synthesis; work submitted in graduate courses should provide evidence of strategic reading, writing, and academic speaking skills essential for success in the discipline.
Grading Policy
Your grade in this course will be determined by the following criteria:
Grade Breakdown
| Syllabus Contract | 1 |
| Discussions | 20 (2.5 each) |
| Potter Box Worksheet | 10 |
| Reading Quiz | 10 |
| ROI Worksheet | 9 |
| Grant Funding Worksheet | 15 |
| Key Assessment: Quimby Concept Paper/LOI | 30 |
| Reflection | 5 |
| Total | 100 |
Schedule
Weekly Dates
Week One – Jan 2 – Jan 8
Week Two – Jan 9 – Jan 15
Week Three – Jan 16 – Jan 22
Week Four – Jan 23 – Jan 29
Week Five – Jan 30 – Feb 5
Week Six – Feb 6 – Feb 12
Week Seven – Feb 13 – Feb 19
Week Eight – Feb 20 – Feb 24
Major Due Dates
| Potter Box Worksheet | Week 2 – Tuesday |
| Implicit Association Test | Week 3 – Tuesday |
| Truth Telling/Reading Quiz | Week 4 – Tuesday |
| ROI Worksheet | Week 5 – Tuesday |
| Grant Funding Worksheet | Week 6 – Tuesday |
| Key Assessment: Quimby Concept Paper/LOI | Week 7 – Tuesday |
| Discussion Board | Every Sunday and Tuesday of Week 1 through Week 7. Week 8 posts are due on the last Friday and Sunday of the term. |
Week One: Moral Reasoning
Weekly Learning Outcomes
- Recognize pressures on business and the new technologies that influence ethical reporting
- Identify the nature of truth and its centrality to media
- Explore the importance of ethics
- Identify how the public’s right to know must be balanced against the public’s right to privacy
- Develop an organization for campaign launch and applied learning
Lecture
Introduction to course and overview
Readings
Introduction pp. 1-36, Chapter 1 pp. 37-61, Chapter 5 pp. 126-147
Academy of Nutrition’s EatrightPRO Code of Ethics for the Profession handout (PDF)
Assignment
Wellness Initiative
Discussion
Moral Reasoning and the Wellness Initiative
Week Two: Ethical Process
Weekly Learning Outcomes
- Discern the challenges faced in the context of an obesity epidemic
- Apply the ethical process to a real-world organization’s mission
- Critically examine the values and principles that guide the advertising profession and consider avenues of intervention when necessary
- Launch individual organization formally in a media campaign
Lecture
Overview of persuasion in advertising, truth-telling, reporting, sources, and the commercialization of everyday life.
Readings
Chapter 2 pp. 62-63; Chapter 3 pp. 79-94
Persuasion in Advertising pp. 149-156; Chapter 6 pp. 157-174
Assignments
Review lecture slides
Complete Potter Box Worksheet
Launch a Facebook page for your wellness initiative organization
Discussion
Potter Box Summary
Week Three: Implicit Bias
Weekly Learning Outcomes
- Gain an understanding for the image-based media culture
- Question personal conscious and subconscious assumptions and associations
- Explore the connection between wellness strategies and weight perceptions
Lecture
Week 3 Lecture
Readings
Chapters 7 and 8 pp. 181-216
Assignments
Harvard Implicit Association Test
Discussion
Implicit Association Test findings
Week Four: Truth-Telling
Weekly Learning Outcomes
- Gain an understanding for advertising’s professional culture and conflicts
- Question truth-telling in organizational settings
- Recognize demands of social responsibility
- Explore and analyze social media behaviors from the user perspective
Lecture
Ethics of Advertising
Readings
Chapters 9 – 13 pp. 220 – 319
How Did We Fall for Clean Eating? London: Guardian publication; 2017. PDF
Assignment
Reading Quiz
Discussion
Potter Box method as a tool
Week Five: ROI
Weekly Learning Outcomes
- Communicate business justification to bosses and/or clients
- Define ROI: What it is and isn’t
- Recognize business intelligence support, online reputation management, and customer support practices
Lecture
ROI overview: Core tenets of a primary business metric
Readings
Forward xiii and Chapter 15 by Solis pp. 207-237
Basics of Social Media ROI slides
Assignment
ROI Worksheet
Discussion
ROI Strategy
Week Six: Grant Funding
Weekly Learning Outcomes
- Communicate a strategy for funding initiatives
- Identify core components of funding an initiative
- Apply graduate-level skills and module learning to a real-world scenario
Lectures
Getting started in the grant-seeking environment and identifying a search strategy
Overview of funder identification
Readings/Resources
Grant Funding: Identifying Foundations PDF
What Do Grant Funders Really Want, Anyway? PDF
Video: Understanding the NIH Grant Process: The Big Picture
Assignment
Grant Funding Worksheet
Discussion
Funding Opportunities for the Wellness Initiative
Week Seven: Grant Writing
Weekly Learning Outcomes
- Experience the fundamentals of the grant-writing process
- Apply skills to the grant process
- Develop the art of brevity in writing
Lecture
Structure, Strategic Content, & Voice: An overview of the grant process and writing stratagem
Readings/Resources
Successful Grantsmanship: A Guerrilla Guide to Raising Money PDF
Video: Understanding the NIH Grant Process: The Big Picture
Assignment
Key Assessment: Quimby Foundation – Concept Letter/LOI
Discussions
Quimby Foundation Concept Letter – takeaways and reflection
Week Eight: Social Responsibility and Motivation
Weekly Learning Outcomes
- Articulate pros and cons of “intentional deception”
- Explore critical analysis of ethics and truth-telling
- Identify financial and alternate incentives that motivate fact-based media
Lecture
Profits, Wealth, and Public Trust: Ethics and business
Readings
Chapter 15 pp. 343-357; Chapter 17 Censorship pp. 371-383
Assignment
Course Reflection and Portfolio Piece
Discussion
Course Reflection
Student Resources
Online Student Support
Your Student Support Specialist is a resource for you. Please don't hesitate to contact them for assistance, including, but not limited to course planning, current problems or issues in a course, technology concerns, or personal emergencies.
Questions? Visit the Student Support Applied Nutrition page
UNE Libraries:
- Library Access for all students: Your library login ID and password are the same as the ones you use to log into Blackboard/Brightspace.
- Applied Nutrition Database
- Library Tutorial: Find an article
- Library Questions: Ask a librarian or phone library staff at (207) 602-2361 or (207) 221-4330.
UNE Student Academic Success Center
The Student Academic Success Center (SASC) offers a range of services to support your academic achievement, including tutoring, writing support, test prep and studying strategies, learning style consultations, and many online resources. To make an appointment for tutoring, writing support, or a learning specialist consultation, go to une.tutortrac.com. To access our online resources, including links, guides, and video tutorials, please visit:
Information Technology Services (ITS)
- ITS Contact: Toll Free Help Desk 24 hours/7 days per week at 1-877-518-4673
Accommodations
Any student who would like to request, or ask any questions regarding, academic adjustments or accommodations must contact the Student Access Center at (207) 221-4438 or pcstudentaccess@une.edu. Student Access Center staff will evaluate the student's documentation and determine eligibility of accommodation(s) through the Student Access Center registration procedure.
Policies
AMA Writing Style Statement
In keeping with the requirements of the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, the American Medical Association (AMA) Manual of Style, 11th edition is the required writing format for this course and is available at both UNE libraries under the title "AMA Manual." Additional support for academic writing and AMA format is provided throughout the coursework as well as at the UNE Portal for Online Students.
Online resources: AMA Style Guide
Turnitin Originality Check and Plagiarism Detection Tool
The College of Professional Studies uses Turnitin to help deter plagiarism and to foster the proper attribution of sources. Turnitin provides comparative reports for submitted assignments that reflect similarities in other written works. This can include, but is not limited to, previously submitted assignments, internet articles, research journals, and academic databases.
Make sure to cite your sources appropriately as well as use your own words in synthesizing information from published literature. Webinars and workshops, included early in your coursework, will help guide best practices in AMA citation and academic writing.
You can learn more about Turnitin in the Turnitin Student quick start guide.
Technology Requirements
Please review the technical requirements for UNE Online Graduate Programs: Technical Requirements
Course Evaluation Policy
Course surveys are one of the most important tools that University of New England uses for evaluating the quality of your education, and for providing meaningful feedback to instructors on their teaching. In order to assure that the feedback is both comprehensive and precise, we need to receive it from each student for each course. Evaluation access is distributed via UNE email at the beginning of the last week of the course.
Attendance Policy
Online students are required to submit a graded assignment/discussion prior to Sunday evening at 11:59 pm ET of the first week of the term. If a student does not submit a posting to the graded assignment/discussion prior to Sunday evening at 11:59 pm ET, the student will be automatically dropped from the course for non-participation. Review the full attendance policy.
Late Policy
Assignments: Late assignments will be accepted up to 3 days late; however, there is a 10% grade reduction (from the total points) for the late submission. After three days the assignment will not be accepted.
Discussion posts: If the initial post is submitted late, but still within the discussion board week, there will be a 10% grade reduction from the total discussion grade (e.g., a 3 point discussion will be reduced by 0.3 points). Any posts submitted after the end of the Discussion Board week will not be graded.
Please make every effort ahead of time to contact your instructor and your student support specialist if you are not able to meet an assignment deadline. Arrangements for extenuating circumstances may be considered by faculty.
Student Handbook Online - Policies and Procedures
The policies contained within this document apply to all students in the College of Graduate and Professional Studies. It is each student's responsibility to know the contents of this handbook.
UNE Course Withdrawal
Please contact your student support specialist if you are considering dropping or withdrawing from a course. The last day to drop for 100% tuition refund is the 2nd day of the course. Financial Aid charges may still apply. Students using Financial Aid should contact the Financial Aid Office prior to withdrawing from a course.
Academic Integrity
The University of New England values academic integrity in all aspects of the educational experience. Academic dishonesty in any form undermines this standard and devalues the original contributions of others. It is the responsibility of all members of the University community to actively uphold the integrity of the academy; failure to act, for any reason, is not acceptable. For information about plagiarism and academic misconduct, please visit UNE Plagiarism Policies.
Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to the following:
- Cheating, copying, or the offering or receiving of unauthorized assistance or information.
- Fabrication or falsification of data, results, or sources for papers or reports.
- Action which destroys or alters the work of another student.
- Multiple submissions of the same paper or report for assignments in more than one course without permission of each instructor.
- Plagiarism, the appropriation of records, research, materials, ideas, or the language of other persons or writers and the submission of them as one's own.
Charges of academic dishonesty will be reviewed by the Program Director. Penalties for students found responsible for violations may depend upon the seriousness and circumstances of the violation, the degree of premeditation involved, and/or the student’s previous record of violations. Appeal of a decision may be made to the Dean whose decision will be final. Student appeals will take place through the grievance process outlined in the student handbook.