Nursing to offer Nutrition minor

How can you live a healthy life? What is best for you to eat? Next fall, the School of Nursing will have courses answering these questions available to all University students, for the first time as a part of its newly-designed Nutrition minor. The minor, which requires at least six courses, will provide students with a broad exposure to the field of nutrition, whether they wish to learn about the subject for personal knowledge or for a future career. The six courses will include three core classes in basic, advanced and scientific nutrition, and three elective courses in related topics. According to the school's published description, the minor "will feature a multi-disciplinary approach to illustrate the pervasiveness of nutrition-related issues in other disciplines such as sociology, economics, health care and public policy." "There have been quite a few students that have expressed interest," said Associate Nursing Professor Emma Weigley, who is coordinating the minor. Although several nutrition courses are currently available to students, this is the first attempt to structure them into a minor. Nutrition and Human Energy, N112, a course currently offered to non-nursing majors, is received very favorably by students. "It's for anybody," said Rita Herskovits, a lecturer in the Nursing School who presently teaches the course. "There is no science background necessary. We cover the basics of nutrients and current nutrition issues such as obesity?and chronic disease." N112, which currently fulfills a Wharton science distribution requirement and a Biological Basis of Behavior nutrition requirement, attracts a wide variety of students. Other courses for the minor will include Nutrition and Health Maintenance, Introduction to Biology or Chemistry, and Concepts of Nutrition in Family Health. The elective courses will examine international nutrition, clinical nutrition, food and culture, disease prevention and the life cycle. "The whole minor is aimed at people outside of the Nursing School," Herskovits said. Currently, though, the three other undergraduate schools do not recognize minors from any school other than a student's home school. "We hope that we can get [the minor] recognized by the beginning of the year," Herskovits said. Students may apply for the minor by seeing Weigley for the appropriate forms which must be filled out and signed by the student's advisor. Faculty from within the Nursing School will be available for questions during its major fair on Locust Walk later this month.