CHEM181 World of Chemistry: Food

Syllabus & Course Schedule Winter 2022

Course Description
Eating has become a complicated and often confusing experience. Virtually every day brings news about
some “miracle food” that we should be consuming or some "poison" we should be avoiding. One day it's
tomatoes to prevent cancer, then flaxseed against heart disease or soybeans for reducing menopause
symptoms. At the same time, we may be warned about trans fats, genetically modified foods, aspartame
or MSG. Dietary supplements may be touted as the key to health or a factor in morbidity. According to
some, dairy products are indispensable while others urge us to avoid them. The same goes for meat,
wheat and soy; the list goes on. This course will shed light on the molecules that constitute our macro
and micro nutrients and will attempt to clarify a number of the food issues using the best evidence
available.

At the end of this course, students will be able to:

1) Identify the main nutritional components of their diet.
2) Explain some of the issues surrounding food production and health.
3) Assess the strengths and weaknesses of food related research that is commonly presented in
the media.

Instructors
Ariel Fenster
McGill University
Email: ariel.fenster@mcgill.ca

David N. Harpp
Professor of Chemistry
Tomlinson Chair in Science Teaching
McGill University
Email: david.harpp@mcgill.ca

Joe Schwarcz
Director of the Office for Science and Society
McGill University
Email: joe.schwarcz@mcgill.ca
Course Schedule

All course materials, except for the recorded sessions, will be released on January 5th at 12:00 AM EST.

Schedule  date* Topics Due  date**

Unit  1:  Nutrition  Basics
Welcome January  5 Meet  the  Instructors
Recorded Session #1 January  5 Welcome / Introduction to the course
Topic  1: January  5 Lesson  1:  A  Sampling  of  Food  Topics
Introduction Lesson  2:  Perspectives  –  Health,  History,  
Science &  Society
Lesson  3:  Scientific  Research  and  Publishing
Quiz  #1 January 11
Topic  2: January  12 Lesson  1:  Vitamins  I
Micronutrients Lesson  2:  Vitamins  II
Vitamins Quiz  #2 January 18
Topic  3: January  19 Lesson  1:  Minerals  I
Micronutrients Lesson  2:  Minerals  II
Minerals Lesson  3:  Minerals  III
Quiz  #3 January 25
Recorded Session #2 January 19 Updates/Q-A on material
Topic  4: January  26 Lesson  1:  Carbohydrates
Macronutrients Lesson  2:  Sugar
Lesson  3:  Fats
Lesson  4:  Protein
Quiz  #4 February  1
th th
Midterm #1 Starts Tuesday February 8 at 5PM Ends Wednesday Febraury 9 at 7AM
Unit  2:  Food  Production  –  Techniques,  Issues  &  Health  Impacts
Topic  5: February  9 Lesson  1:  Food  Additives  I
Food  Additives Lesson  2:  Food  Additives  II
Lesson  3:  Artificial  Sweeteners
Quiz  #5 February  15
Topic  6: February  16 Lesson  1:  Agricultural  Science  I
Agriculture Lesson  2:  Agricultural  Science  II
Lesson  3:  Agricultural  Science  III
Quiz  #6 February  22
Topic  7:  Adverse February  23 Lesson  1:  Adverse  Food  Reactions  I
Food  Reactions Lesson  2:  Adverse  Food  Reactions  II
Lesson  3:  Cooking  Demo
Quiz  #7 February 27
Recorded Session #3 Febraury 23 Updates/Q-A on material
Winter Reading Break: Feb 28th – March 4th
Midterm  #2 Starts Monday March 7th at 5PM Ends Tuesday March 8th at 7AM

Unit  3:  Food  and  Health
March 9 Lesson  1:  Chocolate
 Topic  8: Weight   Lesson  2:  Weight  Control  I
Control Lesson  3:  Weight  Control  II
Quiz  #8 March  15
Topic  9: March  16 Lesson  1:  Diet  &  Cancer
Diet  &  Disease Lesson  2:  Diet  &  the  Heart  I
Lesson  3:  Diet  &  the  Heart  II
Quiz  #9 March 22
Topic  10:  Wrap- March  23 Lesson  1:  The  Health  Food  Business
Up Lesson  2:  Wine
Lesson  3:  Cheese
Lesson  4:  Sense  and  Nonsense
Quiz  #10 March 29
Recorded Session #4 March  23 Updates/Q-A on material
Final  Exam TBD
* Topics with a schedule date indicate a suggested date to begin reviewing the associated course
materials. These dates are provided to assist you in appropriately pacing your studies and are a
suggestion only. Please schedule your work accordingly, as no quiz extensions will be granted (see note
below for more information).
** The quiz due dates indicated are suggested due dates. There is NO time limit for the quizzes. ALL
quizzes are graded electronically and will close automatically on Tuesday April 12th at 11:59PM
EASTERN TIME. Given the ample amount of time to complete the quizzes, no extensions will be
granted.

Quizzes
This course has 10 quizzes. If you have any questions about a quiz we encourage you to post them on
the discussion forum so that other students can provide input along with the course moderators and
professors. You may complete the quiz multiple times but only your first submission will be recorded as
part of your course grade. Please verify that you successfully submitted all your quizzes before the
deadline.

Exams
This course includes 2 midterms and a final exam. Each test is composed of approximately 80 multiple
choice questions and is non-cumulative. Midterm #1 will cover topics 1-4 in Unit #1 and Live Session #2.
Midterm #2 will cover topics 5-7 in Unit #2 and Live Session #3. The final exam will cover topics 8-10 in
Unit #3 and Live session #4. There are no assigned readings for this course.

All three examinations will be completed online though the Quiz feature on MyCourses and will be
available for a 14-hour time period. Please note that during the 14-hour exam windows, you will NOT
have access to the course content nor the lecture recordings.
All three examinations will have a 3 hour and 15 minute time limit. In other words, once you start the
exam, the timer begins. Ex. If you open the exam at 7:30pm you must submit the exam by 10:45pm.
*Note that you may start the exam any time before the deadline. E.g. you could start the exam at 6:59
AM and end at 10:14 AM.

Office for Students with Disabilities (OSD): The timing above should accommodate all students including
those registered with OSD. If you have further questions, please email exams.osd@mcgill.ca. 

Should a student encounter irreversible conflicts evolving from other  academic schedules or work-
related situations, please inform Professor Harpp via email (david.harpp@mcgill.ca) one week prior to
the exam date.  If you are too ill to take the exam, inform Professor Harpp in a timely manner.

Grading
Quizzes 10%
Midterm #1 30%
Midterm #2 30%
Final exam 30%

"McGill University values academic integrity. Therefore, all students must understand the meaning and
consequences of cheating, plagiarism and other academic offences under the Code of Student Conduct
and Disciplinary Procedures (see www.mcgill.ca/students/srr/honest/ for more information).

(Approved by Senate on 29 January 2003)

“In accord with McGill University’s Charter of Students’ Rights, students in this course have the right to
submit in English or in French any written work that is to be graded.”

(Approved by Senate on 21 January 2009 - see also the section in this document on Assignments and
evaluation.)