FDST 4100/6100
Spring 2003
Dr. Mark A. Harrison
In this course, you will be exposed to many of the agencies and groups that are involved in insuring that our food supply is safe, wholesome, and nutritious. To do this, we will cover a number of topics including: how laws and regulations are formed; the agencies that are assigned the various duties; how these agencies carry-out their assigned duties; some of the major legal cases that are related to certain issues; and the resources that are available to the Food Scientist.
Office and Office Hours: Room 301- Office hours: Open or by appointment
Reserve Book - Science Library Reserve Desk:
Food and Drug Law. Cases and Materials by Hutt and Merrill
Supplemental References:
Grading:
Exam 1 - 25%
Exam 2 - 25%
Final Exam (Comprehensive) - 30%
Report - 10%
Participation - 10%
Typical cut-offs: A: 90-10, B: 89-80, C: 79-70, D: 69-60
The report will be a group effort by you and your classmates. This is described on the following page. Each member of the group must participate. Your participation in this assignment will be evaluated by both the instructor and the other members of your group and will be factored into the final course grades.
The participation portion of your grade is an important component of your final grade. You must earn these points. At the start of the semester you have 0 points for participation. Major consideration will be given to active participation in the class discussions and being the discussion leader on legal cases that may be assigned during the semester. Your activities related to your group report will be taken into account for that portion of your grade only and not for the 10% participation grade.
You will be asked to find information on the World Wide Web periodically during the semester. This resource may also be very helpful in tracking down information for the group topic. If you need access to the internet, notify the instructor.
Attendance
Attendance is expected. Excused absences will be noted for acceptable reasons (e.g., class field trip, illness with documentation, job interview).
Group Report
This assignment will give you the opportunity to use your interpersonal skills with a group to work on a particular assignment related to the topic of food laws and regulations. This year the following topics will be considered for the group report assignment:
Topic 1: Advantages and/or disadvantages of governmental recall authority
Topic 2: How should food security be handled by regulatory agencies
We will use the following schedule: 1) On Tuesday, January 14th and Thursday, January 16th we will discuss the topics and the assignment. 2) On Tuesday, February 11th , we will meet to discuss possible directions to take and information resources. 3) Follow-up meetings are scheduled on Tuesday, March 11th , Tuesday, March 27th and Tuesday, April 15th to check progress. The report will be due on Tuesday, April 22nd.
The group will prepare a written and an oral report. The written report should state the position of the group based on the research conducted on the subject. The written report should be no longer than 7 typed, double-spaced pages (12 pt font; 1" margins). A suitable number of references are expected and they should be cited in the proper scientific manner. The written report is due on the day that the group does their oral presentation.
The group will make an oral presentation on the topic. The oral presentation is limited to 20 minutes.
The group should carefully decide how to approach the assigned topic and how each group member will contribute to the effort. At the end of the course, each team member will be asked to evaluate their partners. (This will be done in confidence between each student and the instructor).
Make-up Examinations
Make-up examinations will be given for an acceptable, excused absence. Excuses for this purpose must be accompanied with written documentation (e.g., doctor's excuse for illness). Make-up exams may be different from those given at the designated time. The practice of taking make-up exams is strongly discouraged.
Academic Honesty
All academic work must meet the standards contained in A Culture of Honesty. (The full text of A Culture of Honesty can be found under the heading A UGA Academic Honesty Policy @ at http://www.uga.edu/ovpi/academic_honesty/academic_honesty.htm.) Each student is responsible to inform themselves about those standards before performing any academic work.
Graduate Student Assignment
Since this is a split 4000/6000 level course, graduate students will be required to complete an additional assignment. This assignment will be graded in such a way that a poor performance will adversely affect the student's final grade. Graduate students do not earn extra credit in completing this assignment. The assignment concerns gathering information on: (1) the current activities of Congress as it relates to certain aspects of food regulation and (2) a listing of the major consumer interest groups and their activities. The assignment is due on Tuesday, April 15th . Copies of the reports will be made available to the rest of the class.
(The course syllabus is a general plan for the course; deviations announced to the class by the instructor may be necessary.)