Units / NUT3004
NUT3004 · Nutrition controversies
2026 Handbook6 credit pointsLevel 3Department of Nutrition, Dietetics and Food
Last checked: 23 Aug 2026 UTCOverview
Nutrition controversies will focus on developing your fundamental scientific knowledge and critical reasoning skills in the area of nutritional science. You will build on your skills gained in earlier units that taught principles relating to evaluation of evidence and advanced research methodologies. Using your background in physiology, immunology and biochemistry, you will link diet and disease outcomes using available evidence. In this unit you will develop an appreciation for the controversial and unresolved nature of the reported associations between dietary factors and disease processes. You will critically evaluate the underpinning evidence and identify unresolved questions and/or alternative opinions. Examples of nutritional controversies will be drawn from topics studied across the range of other units on the course and from current topics and trends in the media and on social media. Teaching activities in this unit will have an emphasis on student-centred enquiry supported by a series of student-led seminars and discussions, and written and oral research syntheses.
Offerings
| Campus | Teaching period | Mode |
|---|---|---|
| Clayton | Second semester | Teaching activities are on-campus (ON-CAMPUS) |
Assessment
The Handbook does not list a final examination among the assessment items. That is not a guarantee there is none.
| # | Assessment | Type | Weight | Hurdle |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Critical report (1,000 words) | Written | 30% | — |
| 2 | Oral presentation (5-min oral presentation plus 1,000 words) | Presentation | 40% | — |
| 3 | Research task (4 × 120-min workshops; 1,500 words) | Exercise | 30% | — |
Assessment details may change. Please refer to the assessment information in Moodle closer to the start of the teaching period.
Requisites
The Handbook lists no prerequisite, corequisite or prohibition for this unit.
Learning outcomes
- Appraise novel scientific studies in relation to controversial nutrition topics and related media.
- Synthesise evidence from the literature, reflecting on various perspectives, to determine scientific significance and impact in nutrition.
- Formulate an objective analysis of the scientific evidence supporting or refuting conflicting viewpoints on diet-disease relationships.
- Communicate assertively in written and oral formats using scientific and non-technical language where appropriate.
- Collaborate effectively in a multi-disciplinary team to achieve optimal outcomes in nutritional science.
Workload
3 hours of teacher directed study per week as a 3 hour workshop and 6 hours per week of self-directed study. Total per week = 9 hours
| Activity | Duration |
|---|---|
| Workshops | 36 hours |
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