Southern Utah University

Course Syllabus

Southern Utah University
Southern Utah University
Fall Semester 2026

ADVANCED HUMAN NUTRITION

NFS 4020-30Y

Course: NFS 4020-30Y
Credits: 3
Term: Fall Semester 2026
Department: Agriculture Sci/Nutritonal Sci
CRN: 30112

Course Description

The study of nutrients and their interrelationships in human nutrition. Structures, properties, digestion, absorption, cellular biochemistry and metabolism are addressed. The department recommends that a student complete Human Physiology/Lab (BIOL 2420/2425) before taking this course. A minimum grade of “C” (2.0 or above) must be earned in all prerequisite courses. (Fall, Spring, Summer [As Needed]) [Graded (Standard Letter)] Prerequisite(s): NFS 1020 and NFS 2020 and [(CHEM 1110 and CHEM 1115 and CHEM 1120 and CHEM 1125) or (CHEM 1210 and CHEM 1215 and CHEM 1220 and CHEM 1225)] - Prerequisite Min. Grade: C Registration Restriction(s): None

Required Texts

HIGHLY Recommend Text:       
1.    Advanced Nutrition & Human Metabolism 8th Ed. By Groff 
2.    A basic NFS 1020 book (may be useful)

Learning Outcomes

Course Objectives & Learning Outcomes
• To provide detailed information on the structure, function, digestion, transport, storage, and metabolism of the nutrients.
• To delineate key metabolic pathways in the utilization of macronutrients as well as the interrelationships among nutrients in metabolism.
• To demonstrate comprehension and interpretation of nutrition-related research as reported in scientific publications.  
• Identify nutritional risk factors that may lead to chronic disease: cancer, cardiovascular disease, etc.

Course Requirements

Course Requirements:

1.  Practice question assignment: The Practice Question Assignment is described in Canvas in the module section. It is your responsibility to read it. This assignment cannot be taken late for points. 

2.  Examinations: There will be five exams during the semester. Exams will be taken on the dates scheduled in the syllabus. All exams will be taken in the SUU’s testing center. Please note that all exams must be taken in SUU Testing Center. Online testing programs like Honorlock will not be used. Exams will be multiple choice. The final exam may have some comprehensive questions. 

       You will not be allowed to take an exam after the scheduled date. If you cannot take the test on the scheduled date, you will need to make prior arrangements with me. You need to let me know at least a week in advance of the day that you want to take the exam. This will have to be done by email. In that email, make sure to put the day you would like to take the exam and what section you are in. Also, provide a reason why the test needs to be taken earlier. Do not email me more than one week before you need to take the exam. If your request is earlier than I can accommodate you, then I may have to give you an older version of the exam. That older exam may not always reflect the material that we are covering. Sometimes I may not be able to accommodate your request. 

       Sometimes you cannot plan certain things happening, which may affect you taking the exam on the scheduled day. For example, emergencies such as being admitted to the hospital, giving birth, etc. If this happens, you may need to provide proof of the event and work with the DRC.

3.          Emailing me: I will respond to emails within 48 hours. If received on the weekend, I will respond on Monday. Make sure to email me at schmidt@suu.edu not Canvas! If it is an emergency, I will try to contact you as fast as possible.  

4.         Office hours: All my office hours are on Zoom. Here is the link for those office hours: 

            Monday and Wednesday office hours (10 am- 12 pm): https://suu-edu.zoom.us/j/82417451764?pwd=7aurcfH3jZ5ay8i1axJ6Gkxy2UEoFD.1

            Thursday office hour (11 am-12 pm): https://suu-edu.zoom.us/j/81656284578?pwd=X5SOug8FKBBOfppUKEVaOHuK90UCMq.1 

            Read before attending office hours: You will be put into a waiting room when you enter. There may be others in front of you, and Zoom does not let you know that, so you just must be patient. I will get to you when I can.  There will be times that I will have to miss office hours due to other university commitments. This does not happen too often, but I apologize in advance. 

            You can only review your most recent exam; previous exams are no longer accessible. To review an exam, please email me at least 24 hours in advance. Depending on your score or the number of students present, we may not be able to review every missed question with me. 

5.      This is a challenging class, so please keep up with all the material. Please remember that I am here to help!  

6.  Grading: The point schedule for the course is as follows:
      4 Exams | 100 pts each
      Final Exam (The final exam may be comprehensive) | 100 pts
      Practice questions set(s) 15 total taken on Canvas | 90 pts (no late work accepted) (6 pts/question set)
      Total points | 590 pts
 
Grading Scale: (This is based on percent)
A > 93, A- > 90 
B+ > 87, B > 83, B- > 80
C+ > 77, C > 73, C- > 70
D+ > 67, D > 63, D- > 60
F <60%

Course Outline

Summary of how the class works:

Class Details
• Format: Hybrid setup with independent lecture listening.
o Please review all the lectures independently prior to our meeting.
• Meeting Time: Mondays at 1:00 PM on Zoom (skipped on holidays).
• Duration: 50 minutes. 
o If no one joins within the first 10 minutes, I will close the Zoom meeting for the day.
• Zoom link: Link provided later
• Attendance: Optional.

Zoom Session Activities
• Review current challenging topics.
• Help review for upcoming exams
• Answer questions on current chapters.
• Practice teaching each other in groups.
• ETC.

NFS 4020 Calendar & Due dates
Class dates: September 2nd – December 17th  

Exams, Lecture, Practice Question Assignment due dates (No late work accepted): 
All exams are in the SUU’s Testing Center
• Exam 1 (Take exam on September 21st or 22nd) 
o Exam 1 covers: Zinc, Immune system, Vitamin C, & Vitamin E
 Zinc lecture closes on the 8th of September
• Zinc practice questions need to be completed on 8th of September
 Immune lecture closes on the 13th of September
• Immune practice questions need to be completed on 13th of September
 Vitamin C and Vitamin E lecture closes on the 20th of September
• Vitamin C practice questions need to be completed on 20th of September
• Vitamin E practice questions need to be completed on 20th of September

• Exam 2 (Take exam on October 12th or 13th) 
o Exam 2 covers: Fat (lipid) transportation , Adipose cells, & Essential fat 
 Fat (lipid) transportation lecture closes on the 27th of September
• Fat (lipid) transportation practice questions need to be completed on 27th of September
 Adipose cells lecture closes on the 4th of October
• Adipose cells practice questions need to be completed on 4th of October
 Essential fat lecture closes on the 11th of October
• Essential fat practice questions need to be completed on 11th of October

• Exam 3 (Take exam on October 29th or 30th) 
o Exam 3 covers: Insulin resistance, Magnesium, & Calcium
 Insulin resistance lecture closes on the 18th of October
• Insulin resistance practice questions need to be completed on 18th of October
 Magnesium lecture closes on the 24th of October
• Magnesium practice questions need to be completed on 24th of October
 Calcium lecture closes on the 28th of October 
• Calcium practice questions need to be completed on 28th of October

• Exam 4 (Take exam on November 19th or 20th) 
o Exam 4 covers: Iodine, Vitamin D, & Fiber 
 Iodine lecture closes on the 4th of November
• Iodine practice questions need to be completed on 4th of November
 Vitamin D lecture closes on the 11th of November
• Vitamin D practice questions need to be completed on 11th of November
 Fiber lecture closes on the 18th of November 
• Fiber practice questions need to be completed on 18th of November

• Exam 5 (Take exam on December 15th or 16th) 
 Vitamin B12 lecture closes on the 7th of December
• Vitamin B12 practice questions need to be completed on 7th of December
 Vitamin A lecture closes on the 14th of December
• Vitamin A practice questions need to be completed on 14th of December


 

Instructor's policies on late assignments and/or makeup work

No late work accepted

Attendance Policy

Attendance is not required but recommended

ADA Statement

Students with medical, psychological, learning, or other disabilities desiring academic adjustments, accommodations, or auxiliary aids will need to contact the Disability Resource Center, located in Room 206F of the Sharwan Smith Center or by phone at (435) 865-8042. The Disability Resource Center determines eligibility for and authorizes the provision of services.

If your instructor requires attendance, you may need to seek an ADA accommodation to request an exception to this attendance policy. Please contact the Disability Resource Center to determine what, if any, ADA accommodations are reasonable and appropriate.

Academic Credit

According to the federal definition of a Carnegie credit hour: A credit hour of work is the equivalent of approximately 60 minutes of class time or independent study work. A minimum of 45 hours of work by each student is required for each unit of credit. Credit is earned only when course requirements are met. One (1) credit hour is equivalent to 15 contact hours of lecture, discussion, testing, evaluation, or seminar, as well as 30 hours of student homework. An equivalent amount of work is expected for laboratory work, internships, practica, studio, and other academic work leading to the awarding of credit hours. Credit granted for individual courses, labs, or studio classes ranges from 0.5 to 15 credit hours per semester.

Academic Freedom

SUU is operated for the common good of the greater community it serves. The common good depends upon the free search for truth and its free exposition. Academic Freedom is the right of faculty to study, discuss, investigate, teach, and publish. Academic Freedom is essential to these purposes and applies to both teaching and research.

Academic Freedom in the realm of teaching is fundamental for the protection of the rights of the faculty member and of you, the student, with respect to the free pursuit of learning and discovery. Faculty members possess the right to full freedom in the classroom in discussing their subjects. They may present any controversial material relevant to their courses and their intended learning outcomes, but they shall take care not to introduce into their teaching controversial materials which have no relation to the subject being taught or the intended learning outcomes for the course.

As such, students enrolled in any course at SUU may encounter topics, perspectives, and ideas that are unfamiliar or controversial, with the educational intent of providing a meaningful learning environment that fosters your growth and development. These parameters related to Academic Freedom are included in SUU Policy 6.6.

Academic Misconduct

Scholastic honesty is expected of all students. Dishonesty will not be tolerated and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent (see SUU Policy 6.33). You are expected to have read and understood the current SUU student conduct code (SUU Policy 11.2) regarding student responsibilities and rights, the intellectual property policy (SUU Policy 5.52), information about procedures, and what constitutes acceptable behavior.

Please Note: The use of websites or services that sell essays is a violation of these policies; likewise, the use of websites or services that provide answers to assignments, quizzes, or tests is also a violation of these policies. Regarding the use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI), you should check with your individual course instructor.

Emergency Management Statement

In case of an emergency, the University's Emergency Notification System (ENS) will be activated. Students are encouraged to maintain updated contact information using the link on the homepage of the mySUU portal. In addition, students are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the Emergency Response Protocols posted in each classroom. Detailed information about the University's emergency management plan can be found at https://www.suu.edu/emergency.

HEOA Compliance Statement

For a full set of Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) compliance statements, please visit https://www.suu.edu/heoa. The sharing of copyrighted material through peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing, except as provided under U.S. copyright law, is prohibited by law; additional information can be found at https://my.suu.edu/help/article/1096/heoa-compliance-plan.

You are also expected to comply with policies regarding intellectual property (SUU Policy 5.52) and copyright (SUU Policy 5.54).

Mandatory Reporting

University policy (SUU Policy 5.60) requires instructors to report disclosures received from students that indicate they have been subjected to sexual misconduct/harassment. The University defines sexual harassment consistent with Federal Regulations (34 C.F.R. Part 106, Subpart D) to include quid pro quo, hostile environment harassment, sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking. When students communicate this information to an instructor in-person, by email, or within writing assignments, the instructor will report that to the Title IX Coordinator to ensure students receive support from the Title IX Office. A reporting form is available at https://cm.maxient.com/reportingform.php?SouthernUtahUniv

Non-Discrimination Statement

SUU is committed to fostering an inclusive community of lifelong learners and believes our university's encompassing of different views, beliefs, and identities makes us stronger, more innovative, and better prepared for the global society.

SUU does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, citizenship, sex (including sex discrimination and sexual harassment), sexual orientation, gender identity, age, ancestry, disability status, pregnancy, pregnancy-related conditions, genetic information, military status, veteran status, or other bases protected by applicable law in employment, treatment, admission, access to educational programs and activities, or other University benefits or services.

SUU strives to cultivate a campus environment that encourages freedom of expression from diverse viewpoints. We encourage all to dialogue within a spirit of respect, civility, and decency.

For additional information on non-discrimination, please see SUU Policy 5.27 and/or visit https://www.suu.edu/nondiscrimination.

Pregnancy

Students who are or become pregnant during this course may receive reasonable modifications to facilitate continued access and participation in the course. Pregnancy and related conditions are broadly defined to include pregnancy, childbirth, termination of pregnancy, lactation, related medical conditions, and recovery. To obtain reasonable modifications, please make a request to title9@suu.edu. To learn more visit: https://www.suu.edu/titleix/pregnancy.html.

Religious / Conscience Belief Accommodation

RELIGIOUS / CONSCIENCE BELIEF ACCOMMODATION: In accordance with SUU Policy 6.7 Student Belief Accommodation, students may request, in writing, that their faculty accommodate their sincerely held religious or conscience beliefs. Students should provide their faculty with sufficient advanced notice, if possible within the first five (5) business days of the semester or session, or thereafter with good cause for requesting an accommodation after the first five (5) business days.

Faculty must provide a schedule accommodation or excuse an absence, in any course, for students to observe or participate in religious holidays or an organized activity conducted under the auspices of the student’s religious tradition or religious organization.

In courses that are required for graduation or for an academic major, a faculty member may accommodate a religious or conscience belief by modifying an assignment or examination if its content conflicts with the student’s belief. Faculty may decline the accommodation if it would fundamentally alter the course requirements. If declined, the student may request review by a neutral arbiter using the Belief Accommodation Request Form: https://cm.maxient.com/reportingform.php?SouthernUtahUniv&layout_id=5

Questions go to Assistant Provost Jake Johnson at johnsonj@suu.edu.

Disclaimer Statement

Information contained in this syllabus, other than the grading, late assignments, makeup work, and attendance policies, may be subject to change with advance notice, as deemed appropriate by the instructor.