Dept.

of Health and Nutrition Sciences

2900 Bedford Ave. • Brooklyn, NY 11210

Semester: Fall 2021

Course Name: HNSC 4213 Vitamins and Minerals
Section: TY9 (4 Credits)
Class time: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 3:40 PM – 5:20 PM
Class location: Ingersoll 4411
Instructor: Jorge Caviglia
Office location: 4123A Ingersoll Hall
Office hour: Thursdays 5:30 PM PM – 6:30 PM
Blackboard Collaborate, use link for “Office Hours” sessions
or by appointment (please email to schedule a time)
Contact email: JorgeM.Caviglia@brooklyn.cuny.edu
Office phone: 718-951-5000 x1296
Please consult Blackboard folder “Contacts” for up-to-date information

Course Description:
Metabolism and physiological functions of vitamins and mineral elements known to be
essential in human nutrition. Utilization of concepts in biochemistry and molecular biology.
Clinical effects of levels of nutrient intake.
Pre-requisite(s): HNSC 2210, HNSC 3210, and 3300.

Course Goals
This course will provide students with the knowledge of the role of vitamins and minerals in
nutritional, biochemical, and physiological processes, their importance in human health and
disease, and applications of that knowledge.

Learning Outcomes or Objectives

By the end of this course students are expected to be able to:
1. Identify and evaluate sources of nutritional information on micronutrients
2. Recognize the most important dietary sources of each micronutrient.
3. Apply the knowledge on the digestion, absorption, transport, metabolism and storage of
micronutrients to assess nutritional status and make recommendations for specific
population groups.
4. Relate the functions of vitamins and minerals in biochemical, metabolic, and physiological
processes with the clinical manifestations of deficiency and toxicity.
5. Explain the methods of assessment of nutritional status for each micronutrient.

The course contributes to the following ACEND core knowledge requirements:

KRDN 1.1 Demonstrate how to locate, interpret, evaluate and use professional literature to
make ethical, evidence-based practice decisions.
KRDN 1.3 Apply critical thinking skills.
KRDN 2.1 Demonstrate effective and professional oral and written communication and
documentation.

HNSC 4213, Spring 2022 © Jorge Caviglia

Learning Activities: How the course works
The course is organized in learning units. Each unit includes several learning activities on a
few related topics.
Readings and Reading Guides to guide study will be posted at the beginning of each unit on
Blackboard, in the folder/link for each unit.
Review and Group Discussion. Review and group discussion are to take place on Tuesday
and/or Thursday between 3:40 PM and 6:20 AM. Student should be prepared to discuss the
questions in the reading guides. Attendance is not required but it is highly encouraged.
Discussion: Posting of answers to questions in the reading guides for each unit, peer review
of, and comments on classmates’ answers to reading questions will take place on Blackboard
Discussion Board. In addition, student should be prepared to answer the questions that they
chose in class. Participation in discussion is expected and will be graded. Full credit requires,
for each unit, to answer one of the reading questions exhaustively, online, and in person, the
posting should be substantive, and show evidence of having reviewed the corresponding
readings. Peer review/comment should be substantive and constructive. The instructor will
review the discussion board weekly.
Assignments: Some units include assignments, which can be found in the Assignment
link/folder in Blackboard, and accessed through the corresponding unit link/folder.
Quiz: Each unit will have a quiz. Quizzes will be available on the last day of each unit and
must be completed that day. They can be accessed on Blackboard, in the folder/link for each
unit .
Exams: Exams are used to promote and evaluate learning. The course includes four exams,
each of which corresponds to two to three units.
Schedule:
Tuesdays and Thursdays 3:40 PM to 5:20 PM, except for the final exam, which is scheduled
by the College on a date and time which can be found in the Undergraduate Finals Exam List,
in the Registrar’s page
https://www.brooklyn.cuny.edu/web/about/administration/enrollment/registrar/bulletins.php,
under the information for the current semester. All times are EST.

HNSC 4213, Spring 2022 © Jorge Caviglia

Course Materials
Required Textbook:
Advanced Nutrition and Human Metabolism. Sareen S. Gropper/Jack L. Smith/Timothy P.
Carr (8th Edition) ISBN 9780357449813; 9780357709320
http://brooklyn.textbookx.com/institutional/index.php?action=browse#books/3037399/
(7th Edition is available and can be used)

Additional Resources (available online):

The Vitamins. Combs GF and McClung JP. 5th Edition 2017. ISBN 9780128029657
https://cuny-
bc.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/fulldisplay?docid=alma991028018430606121&context=L
&vid=01CUNY_BC:CUNY_BC&search_scope=MyInst_and_CI&tab=Everything&lang=en

Dietary Reference Intakes: The Essential Guide to Nutrient Requirements. Washington, DC:
The National Academies Press. Institute of Medicine. 2006. https://doi.org/10.17226/11537
Dietary Reference Intakes for Calcium and Vitamin D https://doi.org/10.17226/13050
Dietary Reference Intakes for Sodium and Potassium https://doi.org/10.17226/25353

Vitamin and Mineral Supplement Fact Sheets - NIH – Office of Dietary Supplements
https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/list-VitaminsMinerals/

Micronutrient Information Center - Linus Pauling Institute – Oregon State University

https://lpi.oregonstate.edu/mic

Additional readings will be posted on Blackboard in the Learning Units and/or in the “Additional
readings, videos, podcasts” folder.
All material made available by the instructor remains the intellectual property of the instructor.
Sharing or posting any material online will be considered cheating and reported to the College.

HNSC 4213, Spring 2022 © Jorge Caviglia

Method of Evaluation
Components of Course Grade:
Discussions 14 points
Assignments 20 points
Quizzes 14 points
Exam # 1 15 points
Exam # 2 12 points
Exam # 3 15 points
Exam # 4 10 points

Course Grade Determinations: The final grade will be based on the following grading scale and
letter grades, and not curved.

Numeric Letter
Score Grade
97 -100 A+
93 - 96 A
90 - 92 A-
87 - 89 B+
83 - 86 B
80 - 82 B-
77 - 79 C+
73 - 76 C
70 - 72 C-
67 - 70 D+
63 - 66 D
60 - 62 D-
≤59 F

No revision or resubmission of work will be accepted.

Participation:
Participation in discussions in person, and on Blackboard Discussion Board is expected, and
will be graded (including the seven discussions with the best grades, totaling 14 points).
Assignments:
Several assignments will be given, which may include discussion questions, text
comprehension questions, and reports to promote learning of the course material.
Assignments need to be submitted by the due dates which are in Blackboard, in the Assignemt
folder/link; late assignments will not be accepted. Assignments should be submitted in Word
format (not pdf or any other format, which will not be graded). Assignment should be submitted
through Blackboard. After submitting, students should verify that the document submitted looks
as expected. Students should record the Submission Confirmation ID and save the
Submission Received email. Please do not email any assignment. Please keep a copy of your

HNSC 4213, Spring 2022 © Jorge Caviglia

submitted work if you may need it for your professional portfolio; the course is archived after
the end of the semester and you may not have access to it.
For all submitted work: All writing should be original; please do not copy wording from the
literature or internet, which is considered plagiarism. Assignments will be checked for
plagiarism using SafeAssign, TurnItIn, and/or other procedures. Plagiarism will result in a
failing grade and has to be reported to the Office of the Associate Provost for Academic
Programs. References should be included when appropriate.
Assignment 0: Introductions (2 points)
Assignment 1: Pellagra (3 points)
Assignment 2: Anemias (3 points)
Assignment 3: DRIs for Vitamin D and Calcium (3 points)
Assignment 4: Aging-Associated Diseases: Hypertension and Osteoporosis: Students should
(1) attend the library class on PubMed, (2) select a unique scientific article on the topic of
nutrition as it relates to either hypertension or osteoporosis, and seek approval from the
instructor, (3) submit a written report that includes a summary of the article and a critical
evaluation, (4) give a presentation for the class about the article and answer questions, and (5)
participate in the discussion of all the articles. This assignment is mandatory (9 points)
All assignment information, including due dates can be found on Blackboard, in the folder/link
“Assignment” and in the Learning Activities for each unit. Please check Bb for up-to-date due
dates
Quizzes
Learning units will include a quiz. Content will be related to the reading material, reviews, and
discussions. Quizzes will be available on Blackboard on the last Tuesday or Thursday of each
learning unit and should be completed at that time. Quizzes can be accessed through
Blackboard using the Link/Folder for each unit. The seven quizzes with the highest grade will
be included in the calculation of the final grade.
Examinations
The course includes four (4) exams corresponding to two to three related units. Each exam will
cover the content of readings, class discussions, and assignments in the corresponding units.
Knowledge of the content from prerequisite courses is expected. Exams will be computer-
administered (as the RDN exam is). Exams will be saved in Blackboard; students may review
them by appointment. Recording the information in the exams, including taking notes,
recording images, or sound will be considered cheating and handled as such. Cheating will
result in a failing grade for the exam and will be reported to the College. Missed exams, only
when due to documented extenuating circumstances, will result in a grade of Incomplete (INC).
The instructor may change the grade of INC to another grade after the exam has been taken.
See schedule of classes and Exam folder in Blackboard for exam dates and times.

HNSC 4213, Spring 2022 © Jorge Caviglia

Expectations of Students
Online activities
Online learning activities require a computer and reliable internet access for on-line
discussions, assignments, and quizzes. Students should ensure that they have reliable access
to Blackboard for these activities. For help with Blackboard and other technology: Contact
Academic Information Technology (AIT) Support | 718.951.4868 | Monday–Friday, 9 a.m.–5
p.m. After hours Blackboard support available weeknights and weekends. See After Hours
Blackboard Support.
Class Attendance
Attendance to the in-person (and online sessions, if any) is expected. Students must use email
for any communication regarding non-attendance. Students who miss a class, should ask their
classmates for notes and other information. Please inform the instructor as early as possible of
any pre-planned absence. For information on the state law regarding non-attendance because
of religious beliefs, please refer to the Undergraduate Bulletin p.66.
Participation
Participation is expected, in-person and in online (written) discussions. Participation includes
answering instructor’s questions, engaging in class discussions, and asking questions. Good
participation includes allowing for everybody to participate: If you tend to not participate, please
make an effort to participate; if you tend to participate much more often than other students,
please give space for other students to participate. Please avoid any behaviour that may
disrupt the class or interfere with othe students’s learning.
Communication
Blackboard will contain most information regarding the course, including the syllabus,
materials, lectures, assignments, etc. Please check Blackboard regularly for announcements.
Ensure that you check the email that you have registered with blackboard regularly.
All email communications will be directed to the email that the students have registered in
Blackboard. Please ensure that you check that email regularly or change it to an email that you
do check regularly. When emailing the instructor, please include in the subject field the course
number (e.g. HNSC 4213) followed by a brief description of the subject of the email. Please
include your name as signature. All efforts will be made to answer emails within 2 business
days.

Course and College Policies (“fine print”):

Technology Requirements
For online activities, students are required to have a device (preferably a computer). The
device should have a reliable internet connection. Devices can be the student’s personal
device or computers in the computer labs.
University’s policy on Academic Integrity
The faculty and administration of Brooklyn College support an environment free from cheating
and plagiarism. Each student is responsible for being aware of what constitutes cheating and
plagiarism and for avoiding both. The complete text of the CUNY Academic Integrity Policy and
the Brooklyn College procedure for policy implementation can be found at

HNSC 4213, Spring 2022 © Jorge Caviglia

www.brooklyn.cuny.edu/bc/policies. If a faculty member suspects a violation of academic
integrity and, upon investigation, confirms that violation, or if the student admits the violation,
the faculty member MUST report the violation. Students should be aware that faculty may use
plagiarism detection, Lockdown browsers, or proctoring software such as SafeAssign, TurnItIn,
Respondus, etc. All writing must be on the student’s own words. Incidents of violations of
academic integrity will result in a grade of “0” in the activity. If a second incident occurs, in
addition, the final letter grade will be lowered by one letter (e.g. from B to C). A third incident
will be penalized with an “F” grade for the course.
Types of Academic Dishonesty Explicitly Prohibited:
Cheating is the unauthorized use or attempted use of material, information, notes, study aides,
devices or communication during an academic exercise.
Plagiarism is the act of presenting another person’s ideas, research or writings as your own.
Internet plagiarism includes submitting downloaded term papers or parts of term papers,
paraphrasing or copying information from the internet without citing the source, and “cutting &
pasting” from various sources without proper attribution.
Obtaining unfair advantage is any activity that intentionally or unintentionally gives a student an
unfair advantage in his/her academic work over another student. This includes sharing specific
information about exam questions with other students.
Falsification of records and official documents includes, but is not limited to, forging signatures
of authorization and falsifying information on an official academic record.
Video and/or audio recording of class lectures and review sessions without the advanced
consent of the instructor is prohibited. For all material made available, the instructor retains the
copywright. Sharing or posting any of that material online is an infringement of copyright law. In
addition, because it helps other students cheat, it will be considered a violation of academic
integrity and reported to the College as such.
Center for Student Disability Services
The Center for Student Disability Services (CSDS) is committed to ensuring students with
disabilities enjoy an equal opportunity to participate at Brooklyn College. In order to receive
disability-related academic accommodations, students must first be registered with CSDS.
Students who have a documented disability or suspect they may have a disability are invited to
schedule an interview by calling (718) 951-5538 or emailing
Josephine.Patterson@brooklyn.cuny.edu If you have already registered with CSDS, email
Josephine.Patterson@brooklyn.cuny.edu or testingcsds@brooklyn.cuny.edu to ensure
accommodation emails are sent to your professor.
Consideration of Religious Observance
New York State Education Law (Title I, Article 5, Section 224-a) requires that the course
instructor make available to each student who is absent from school, because of his/her
religious beliefs, an equivalent opportunity to make up any examination, study or work
requirements which he/she may have missed because of such absence on any particular
day(s). Students requesting a religious accommodation should contact the Office for Student
Affairs at the College.
Bereavement Policy:
The Bereavement Policy for Students can be found at:
http://www.brooklyn.cuny.edu/web/about/initiatives/policies/bereavement.php.

HNSC 4213, Spring 2022 © Jorge Caviglia

Further information may also be obtained from the Office of Student Affairs, 2113 Boylan Hall,
718-951-5352, rortiz@brooklyn.cuny.edu
Covid-19 and Returning Safely Together
College regulations indicate: Face masks must also be worn outdoors when unable to maintain
distance from others. Face coverings must cover the mouth and nose. All faculty must be
masked indoors at all times. No one may remove their mask, including faculty who are
lecturing. If a student removes their mask in class, or does not wear it properly, faculty should
prompt them to do so, reminding them of the importance of masking in safeguarding health. If
a student refuses, faculty may contact security. If a student does not comply repeatedly,
faculty should initiate disciplinary action through Student Affairs. Masks are availables at the
gates, in academic departments, and in student affairs.
The college requests members of the community (students, staff, faculty) to complete a report
form (link below) if they experience symptoms, test positive for Covid-19, or had close contact
with someone who did. In any of these cases, if students miss one assignment, they have the
opportunity to submit one assignment late; if they miss one exam, they would be able to
complete a make-up exam, which would take place at the end of the semester, on the day of
the final exam. In any of these cases, students need to provide documentation that they
reported their case to the college. Reports are done using the following link:
http://www.brooklyn.cuny.edu/web/about/initiatives/initiatives/return/resources/case-collection-
form.php
For up to date information on covid-19 and returning safely together, please see
http://www.brooklyn.cuny.edu/web/about/initiatives/initiatives/return.php#

All students should read the section entitled “Academic Regulations and Procedures” in the
Brooklyn College Undergraduate Bulletin for a complete listing of academic regulations of the
College. These may be found on the Academic Calendars, Course Schedules, and Bulletins
page of the Registrar’s website.
Important Dates
Friday, January 28 First day of Spring 2022 classes
Thursday, February 3 Last day to add a course
Tuesday, February 8 Conversion Day – Classes follow a Friday schedule
Friday, April 15 through Friday, April 22 Spring Recess – No classes scheduled
Monday, May 16 Last day to withdraw from a course with a “W” grade
Wednesday, May 18 Final Examinations Begin
Tuesday, May 24 Final Examinations End / End of Spring Semester
The full academic calendar, including other important dates, is available on the Office of the
Registrar’s website.
Class Schedule
See schedule on Blackboard. The schedule is subject to change. Please check the schedule
regularly. Please see the list of deadlines for assignments, quizzes, and tests, on Blackboard,
using the corresponding folder/links.

Note: This syllabus is subject to change to improve instruction. Please set Blackboard
notifications to ensure that you receive a notification if an updated version is posted.

HNSC 4213, Spring 2022 © Jorge Caviglia