Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon

Who is Teaching this Course? 

I am Rabia Shahab-Dirdak (she/her) and I will be your instructor for this course. My higher education began at Bryn Mawr College, a women's liberal arts college in Bryn Mawr, PA where I majored in East Asian Language and Culture. Living and teaching English in Japan inspired me to pursue an education nutritional science and I did that here in Portland at the National University of Natural Medicine.

My informal education started in my family kitchen where my Mother and Father encouraged me to learn simple dishes to help with family dinners. Through passion and exploration, the kitchen has become my creative outlet. Making dinner for my family or baking a treat (mostly for me, let's be honest) is my happy place.

My Philosophy in Teaching 

My role is to guide you through the formal study of food and nutrition. However my philosophy of teaching is student-driven. I want you to be an active participant in your own learning. That means striving to complete readings, quizzes, and assignments on time, because ultimately that will keep you engaged and able to participate in learning the class material.

Due to the personal and emotional nature of food and nutrition let me reassure you that our online classroom space will be a non judgmental zone. This class is not meant to “fix” your eating habits or diet but to encourage self-discovery of your food story and the inner workings of your body.

Course Details

• This is a fully online course- there are no required weekly Zoom sessions. All materials (including readings) are available 24/7 online in your PCC Brightspace. 
• The weekly course materials will be made available Mondays at 12:01 am and all work is due by the following Monday at 11:59 pm. 
• I do not have regular office hours but can schedule in-person or virtual meetings with you that fits both our schedules if you would like to connect, have questions, or want to discuss any of the class material.
• Here is a list of the course topics:
  1. 1. Nutrition and You
     2. Healthy Meal Pattern
     3. Digestion, Absorption, and Transfer of Nutrients
     4. Carbohydrates
     5. Lipids
     6. Proteins
     7. Vitamins
     8. Minerals
     9. Energy Balance, Weight, & Fitness
     10. Packaged & Processed, and the Future of Food