Southern Utah University

Course Syllabus

Southern Utah University
Southern Utah University
Fall Semester 2026

Nutritional Biochemistry: Macronutrients

NFS 6020-70Y

Course: NFS 6020-70Y
Credits: 3
Term: Fall Semester 2026
Department: Agriculture Sci/Nutritonal Sci
CRN: 33401

Course Description


Principles of micronutrient metabolism, including function, toxicity, and deficiency. Micronutrients in the physiopathology of chronic disease; sources of micronutrients and factors affecting nutrient bioavailability. Impact of disease and/or genetics on nutrient function and nutrient requirement; role of fortification, enrichment, and/or supplementation of micronutrients in the food supply and on health outcomes including global impacts of nutrient deficiencies. Minimum grade of “B-” (2.7) or higher must be earned in this course for the Dietetics Program. (Spring) Registration Restrictions: Dietetics students only. 

Required Texts

Required Text: Advanced Nutrition & Human Metabolism 8th Ed. By Gropper

Learning Outcomes

ACEND Learning Outcomes:

Students will be able to understand and apply the following concepts: 

●       Nutritional Genomics - application and interventions
●       Nutrient metabolism: To provide detailed information on the structure, function, digestion, transport, and metabolism of the macronutrients.
●       Organic chemistry, biochemistry, anatomy, physiology, genetics, microbiology, pharmacology, statistics, logic, nutrient metabolism, integrative and functional nutrition and nutrition across the lifespan 
●       Global Nutrition 

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
      KRDN 3.5 Epigenetic articles quiz (35 points (no late work accepted))
      Practice questions set(s) 12 total taken on Canvas | 120 pts (no late work accepted) (10 pts/question set)
      Total points | 655 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

Hybrid Course: 

Class Details
·         Format: Hybrid setup with independent lecture listening.

o    Please review all the lectures independently prior to our meeting.
·         Meeting Time: Mondays at 2:00 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 provide later
·         Attendance: Optional but strongly recommended.

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 6020 Calendar & Due dates
Class dates: September 2nd – December 17th  


Exams, Practice Question Assignment, and KRDN assignment: 
All exams are in the SUU’s Testing Center
• Exam 1 (Take exam on September 16th or 17th)
o Exam 1 covers: Gastrointestinal tract & Immune system
 All practice questions must be finished by September 15th before they close.
• GI tract practice questions 
• Immune system practice questions

• Exam 2 (Take exam on October 8th or 9th) 
o Exam 2 covers: Macronutrient metabolism, Phytochemicals & Free radical, & GMO
 All practice questions must be finished by October 7th before they close. 
• Macronutrient metabolism (energy metabolism) practice questions 
• Phytochemicals & Free radical practice questions  
• GMO practice questions 

• Exam 3 (Take exam on October 29th or 30th) 
o Exam 3 covers: Carbohydrate metabolism and Fiber
 All practice questions must be finished by October 28th before they close.
• Carbohydrate metabolism practice questions  
• Fiber practice questions  

• Exam 4 (Take exam on November 19th or 20th) 
o Exam 4 covers: Lipid transport, Adipose, and Essential fats
 All practice questions must be finished by November 18th before they close.
• Adipose practice questions 
• Fat transportation practice questions 
• Essential fat practice questions 
 Assignment: Epigenetics KRDN 3.5  Due Date: November 11th  -12th  

• Exam 5 (Take exam on December 16th or 17th)
o Exam 5 covers: Insulin resistance & Protein 
 All practice questions must be finished by December 15th before they close.
• Insulin resistance practice questions  
• Protein practice questions 


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

No late work accepted

Attendance Policy

Attendance is highly recommended but not required

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.