MAPHN4100 National and Global Nutrition Challenges Course description

Language of instruction: English

This course aims to enable the students to assess food and nutrition-related challenges both nationally and globally by means of critical use of research. The course provides a broad theoretical basis in public health nutrition and covers the history and use of theories and models for analysing current and future food and nutrition challenges. It has a focus on different food systems and how food environments contribute to the development of obesity and non-communicable diseases, malnutrition and food insecurity.

Medical microbiology deals with all types of microorganisms that can cause infection in humans, and the immunological response to such infections. Microbiological laboratories are tasked with contributing to the detection and characterisation of infectious agents and, if relevant, antibodies in patients with a suspected infection. This is important to ensure the best possible treatment of the individual patient and to detect an outbreak as soon as possible, identify sources of infection in the event of outbreaks, sanitise the reservoir of infection and implement preventive measures against the further spread of infection.

Basic knowledge of medical microbiology and immunology are important because biomedical laboratory scientists are responsible for conducting and quality assuring the analyses and detection methods used in this type of laboratory. The course emphasises the detection and identification of microorganisms and determination of bacterial sensitivity/resistance to antibiotics, as well as methods for detecting antibodies against microorganisms. Emphasis is furthermore placed on how the different microorganisms cause infectious disease (pathogenesis) and how the balance between the microorganisms’ virulence and the host's immune system determines how serious the disease becomes.

The student must have been admitted to the Master’s Programme in Health Sciences - Specialisation in Public Health Nutrition.

After completing the course, the student should have the following learning outcomes defined in terms of knowledge, skills and general competence:

Knowledge

The student

• can critically assess how diet affects the development and risk of obesity, diet related non-communicable diseases and undernutrition
• can critically discuss the scientific evidence that forms the basis for dietary guidelines and nutrient recommendations
• can discuss different types of food systems and analyse the interconnection between diet and sustainability, food production and consumption locally and globally
• can discuss the social, political, economic and cultural factors that have an impact on food consumption among different population groups
• can discuss the development of public health nutrition as a professional practice

Skills

The student

• can apply relevant explanatory models and theories in the understanding of changes in diets over time and socio-economic differences in diet and health
• can assess and evaluate the prevalence and distribution of nutrition-related health challenges in different population groups

General competence

The student

• can convey scientific perspectives and results from own academic work

The course uses varied, student-active work methods. The course uses a blended learning approach that combines digital learning resources (e.g. videos, lectures and knowledge tests) and teaching on campus. There will be four weeks with teaching on campus, with three teaching day each week. Students will also have a one-day observation internship at a relevant workplace. Students must schedule this themselves based on a list of available institutions and organisations.

The students will choose the topic of their written assignment in the beginning of the course, and work with this in groups or indivudually. The assignment is presented to the other students as an oral presentation.

The students are also given access to a pool of revision questions they can use in order to practice different course topics which can be used as revision questions for the oral examination.

The following must have been approved in order for the student to take the examination:

• A written assignment of up to 3,000 words (individually or in groups of two to three students)
• Oral presentation of the assignment in a plenary session
• A reflection note of up to 1,000 words, and a oral presentation from the one-day observation internship at a relevant workplace

Individual oral examination where the candidate draws a task, up to 20 minutes.

The course is taught in English. Students may choose to conduct the examination in a Scandinavian language (Norwegian, Swedish or Danish).

Teaching methods vary between lectures/seminars (e-lectures) and skills training with and without the use of filming.

Grade scale A-F.

The following compulsory activities must have been approved in order for the student to take the exam:

• Coursework 1. Compulsory attendance and active participation in skills training and seminar days. 

The minimum attendance requirement is 80% and is based on overall attendance. If a student’s absence exceeds 20% but is lower than 40%, a compensatory coursework requirement will be set. The coursework requirement must be completed and approved by the given deadline in order for the student to take the exam. If a student’s absence exceeds 40%, they lose the right to take the exam. 

The reason why attendance is compulsory is that the student will in this way acquire competence necessary to meet the objectives of the course that they would be unable to acquire from solely reading the syllabus and/or taking the exam.

• Coursework 2. INTERACT - INTER1200

The following required coursework must be approved:

Students must submit an individual log. Scope: 500 words (+/- 10%). The log requires participation at the two-day seminar. An individual assignment may compensate for absence.

Read more about INTERACT and INTER1200 here: https://www.oslomet.no/en/research/research-projects/interact

• Passed first year or equivalent of the Bachelor’s Programme in Biomedical Laboratory Sciences, with the exception of the course BIOB1060

or

• Admitted to the Complementary Education in Biomedical Laboratory Science