SYLLABUS
CULTURE AND AIDS (ADI)
ANT 317.01 Fall 2005
Tuesdays and Thursdays 3:00 – 4:30 PM
Dr. Douglas A. Feldman
Professor
SUNY College at Brockport
Department of Anthropology
dfeldman@brockport.edu
(585) 395-5709
Course Description:
Explores the cultural, social, epidemiologic, political, psychological, philosophical, economic, public health, and public policy dimensions of HIV/AIDS on a global level, especially in the United States and sub-Saharan Africa. Focuses upon women and children with AIDS, men who have sex with men and other at-risk populations, HIV prevention strategies, theoretical issues, social stigma and discrimination, the influence of the pandemic on other aspects of society and culture, and the meaning and importance of HIV/AIDS.
Required Texts:
Feldman, Douglas A. and Wang Miller, Julia (eds.) (1998) [TAC]
The AIDS Crisis: A Documentary History. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press.
Feldman, Douglas A. (ed.) (1994) [GAP]
Global AIDS Policy. Westport, CT: Bergin and Garvey.
Additional reading packet (to be distributed).
Course Topics:
The basics of anthropology. Introduction to AIDS as a cultural and public health issue. The importance of AIDS. The epidemiology of HIV/AIDS in the United States. The AIDS crisis. The origin of HIV/AIDS. An epidemic emerges. The shaping of public opinion. The situation in the United States. The global crisis. The epidemic takes its toll. Teenagers. Women. Children. The gay community. Commercial sex workers. The homeless. Persons with hemophilia. Injecting drug users. Correctional facilities. The African pandemic. The growing crisis in Asia. AIDS in Latin America and the Caribbean. China. Latin America. Traditional medicine. Uganda. Ghana. South Africa. Breast feeding. The many faces of AIDS. Psychosocial needs of persons with AIDS. The role of families, partners, and friends of people with AIDS. The role of health care providers and caregivers. Community responses to the crisis. Political apathy. Political activism. Immigration policy. Political economy. Promoting awareness and education. Producing behavioral change. Barebacking. Gay politics. Patient adherence. Risky and less risky sex. Club drugs. AIDS in the workplace. Legal issues. Ethics and AIDS policy. Mandatory reporting. Mandatory testing. Partner notification. The future of AIDS.
Reading Schedule:
August 30: Welcome and Introduction. The basics of anthropology.
September 1: WebMD with AOL Health. “Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Infection,” http://aolsvc.health.webmd.aol.com, 2005.
The CIA World Factbook, “Rank Order - HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate,” www.odci.gov, 2005.
The CIA World Factbook, “Rank Order - HIV/AIDS - people living with AIDS,” www.odci.gov, 2005.
“Global Summary of the AIDS Epidemic, December 2004,” AIDS Epidemic Update: December 2004, World Health Organization/UNAIDS.
“Adults and Children Estimated to be Living with HIV as of End 2004,” AIDS Epidemic Update: December 2004, WHO/UNAIDS.
“Estimated Number of Adults and Children Newly Infected with HIV During 2004,” AIDS Epidemic Update: December 2004, WHO/UNAIDS.
“Estimated Adult and Child Deaths From AIDS During 2004,” AIDS Epidemic Update: December 2004, WHO/UNAIDS.
September 6: Douglas A. Feldman and Julia Wang Miller, “Introduction,” in The AIDS Crisis: A Documentary History (TAC) (Eds.: D.A. Feldman and J. Wang Miller); pp. xxv-xxxix, Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1998.
Douglas A. Feldman and Julia Wang Miller, Chapter 1, “The History of HIV/AIDS,” in TAC; pp.1-29.
September 8: Gina Kolata, “The Genesis of an Epidemic: Humans, Chimps and a Virus,” New York Times, September 4, 2001.
Garret, “HIV Subtypes: African, Asian Strains Cropping Up in New York City,” Newsday, January 31, 2001.
Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report. “Complete Adherence to Antiretroviral Drug Regimens Best Way to Avoid Development of Drug Resistant HIV, Study Says,” January 14, 2005.
Douglas A. Feldman and Julia Wang Miller, Chapter 2, “The Impact of the Epidemic,” in TAC; pp.30-53.
September 13: Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report. “Alabama to Cut 514 People From State’s ADAP Unless State Legislature Provides $3.5M in Additional Funding, State Official Says,” January 14, 2005.
Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report. “Donors to Asian Tsunami Survivors Also Should Give More to Fight HIV/AIDS, U.N. Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa Says,” January 20, 2005.
Jennifer Steinhauer, “AIDS Altered the Fabric of New York in Ways Subtle and Vast,” New York Times, June 4, 2001.
“AIDS Carriers Banned From Swimming in Ocean...because they’re killing the sharks!,” Weekly World News, p.6, August 24, 1993.
Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report. “Companies Worldwide Fail to Adequately Address HIV/AIDS, Survey Finds,” January 20, 2005.
September 15: Douglas A. Feldman and Julia Wang Miller, Chapter 3, “HIV/AIDS Within Communities and Populations,” in TAC; pp. 54-116.
September 20: Lisa Richardson and Lee Romney. “Gays’ Rising Meth Use Tied to New HIV Cases,” Los Angeles Times, January 19, 2005.
Daniel Q. Haney. “Chat Rooms a Meeting Place for Risky Sex,” www.retroconference.org/2003/, February 11, 2003.
IRIN Plus News, “Stigmatised Men who have Sex [with] Men (MSM) Receive Little Support,” March 14, 2002.
Robert G. Carlson, et al., “Ethnography, Epidemiology, and Public Policy: Needle-Use Practices and HIV-1 Risk Reduction Among Injecting Drug Users in the Midwest,” in GAP; pp. 185-214.
September 22: Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report. “New York Times Examines Debate Over Access to Clean Needles, AIDS Epidemic in New Jersey,” January 13, 2004.
Connie Lauerman. “Never Too Old,” Chicago Tribune, January 12, 2005.
Douglas A. Feldman and Julia Wang Miller, Chapter 4, “AIDS in the
Developing World,” in TAC; pp. 117-134.
September 27: Douglas A. Feldman, “Introduction,” in Global AIDS Policy (GAP)
(ed.: D.A. Feldman); pp. 1-6, Westport, CT: Bergin & Garvey, 1994.
Jim Abrams, “House Panel Approves $15B to Combat AIDS,” Associated Press, April 2, 2003.
Naomi Klein, “Bush’s AIDS Test,” The Nation, p.12, October 27, 2003.
Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report. “New Indian Rules Could ‘Effectively End’ Country’s Generic Antiretroviral Drug Production, Jeopardize Health of Millions, Editorial Says,” January 19, 2005.
September 29: Vincent E. Gil, “Behind the Wall of China: AIDS Profile, AIDS Policy,” in GAP; pp. 7-27.
Richard G. Parker, “Public Policy, Political Activism, and AIDS in Brazil,” in GAP; pp.28-46.
October 4: Video.
October 6: Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report. “Brazil to Distribute 11M Condoms During Carnival Festivities to Prevent Spread of HIV, Other STDs,” January 21, 2005.
Charles B. Rwabukwali, et al. “Culture, Sexual Behavior, and Attitudes toward Condom Use among Baganda Women,” in GAP; pp. 70-89.
U.S. Agency for International Development. “The ABCs of HIV Prevention,” www.usaid.gov, June 2003.
October 11: Midterm exam.
October 13: Video.
October 18: No class -- Midterm break.
October 20: Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report. “FDA Warns Antiretroviral Drug Viramune Can Cause Liver Damage; Says Drug Still Important Option for HIV-Positive People,” January 20, 2005.
Henry Wasswa, “Group: Violence Spreads AIDS in Uganda,” Associated Press, August 13, 2003.
October 25: Edward C. Green, “The Male Circumcision and AIDS Issue,” Lancet, 35 (9207), p. 927, March 11, 2000.
Festud A. Ukwuani, Amy O. Tsui, and Chirayath M. Suchindran, “Condom Use for Preventing HIV Infection/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa: A Comparative Multilevel Analysis of Uganda and Tanzania,” Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes, 34(2):203-213, October 1, 2003; abstract only from www.aegis.com, January 7, 2004.
Dana Raphael, “The Politics of International Health: Breastfeeding and HIV,” in GAP; pp.129-141.
October 27: Douglas A. Feldman and Julia Wang Miller, Chapter 5, “The Human Side of AIDS,” in TAC, pp. 135-158.
November 1: Douglas A. Feldman and Julia Wang Miller, Chapter 6, “The Politics of AIDS,” in TAC, pp. 159-182.
Norris G. Lang, “HIV, Immigration Policy, and Latinos/as: Public Health Safety versus Hidden Agendas,” in GAP, pp. 61-69.
Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report. “United States Should Not Deport HIV-Positive Immigrants, Opinion Piece Says,” January 12, 2004.
November 3: M.E. Melody, “Acting Up Academically: AIDS and the Politics of Disempowerment,” in GAP, pp. 160-184.
Douglas A. Feldman and Julia Wang Miller, Chapter 7, “Education and Behavioral Change,” in TAC, pp. 183-200.
November 8: Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report. “CDC Recommends Prophylactic AntiretroviralDrug Regimen for People Exposed to HIV Through Unprotected Sex, Shared Needles,” January 21, 2005.
Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report. “Spokesperson for Catholic Church of Spain Says Church Accepts Use of Condoms to Prevent HIV/AIDS; Bishops Later Backtrack,” January 20, 2005.Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report. “Texas County With Abstinence-Only Sex Education Curriculum Shows Increases in Teen Pregnancy, STDs,” January 21, 2003.
Douglas A. Feldman and Julia Wang Miller, Chapter 8, “Legal and Ethical Issues,” in TAC; pp. 201-233.
November 10: Douglas A. Feldman, “Conclusion,” in GAP; pp. 236-240.
Douglas A. Feldman and Julia Wang Miller, Chapter 9, “The Future of AIDS,” in TAC; pp. 234-251.
November 15: Class presentations.
November 17: Class presentations.
November 22: Class presentations.
November 24: No class – Thanksgiving Day.
November 29: Class presentations.
December 1: Video.
December 6: Class presentations.
December 8: Summary and review. All papers due today.
December 13: Final exam.
We expect to have one or more guest speakers.
Course Requirements and Grade:
Research Paper: 25%
Midterm Exam: 25%
Final Exam: 25%
Class participation and presentation: 25%
:
TOTAL: 100%
Students will prepare an original 10 page research paper on a topic pre-approved by the professor relating to culture and AIDS. Papers must be 12 point type, double-spaced, one-inch margins, Arial font, plus a title page and references cited page(s). Papers must have at least seven references cited, keyed to the text of your paper. The references cited page(s) should be alphabetized by last author’s name, and include the names of all authors, year of publication, and title of book or article. If an article, it must included the name of the journal, volume number, and page numbers. If a book, it must include the place of publication and the publisher. Papers must be carefully spell-checked and proofread for grammar and coherence. Students will give an oral presentation in front of the class of five minutes, with 5-10 minutes for discussion, about their paper topic.
Class participation includes constructive participation in which the student demonstrates having read the assigned readings and has thought deeply about the content. Students are expected to spend at least six hours per week preparing for the class sessions. The professor may call upon students to discuss the assigned readings. The final exam is not cumulative.
Disability Statement:
Students with documented disabilities may be entitled to specific accommodations. SUNY Brockport’s Office for Students with Disabilities makes this determination. Please contact the Office for Students with Disabilities at (585) 395-5409 or osdoffic@brockport.edu to inquire about obtaining an official letter to the course professor. Faculty work as a team with the Office for Students with Disabilities to meet the needs of students with disabilities.
Attendance Policy:
Attendance will be taken at the beginning of each session, and it is important that you not be late for class. Students who have six unexcused absences will receive a lowered grade (e.g., A = A-). Each additional two unexcused absences will receive a further lowered grade (e.g., A = B+). Absences will be excused for a) written documented illnesses of the student, b) official representation of the College, c) death of a close relative, d) religious holiday, and e) other circumstances beyond the control of the student as determined by the professor. If you are not requesting to be excused, students do not need to notify the professor of their absence or lateness by either phone or e-mail, except for an exam or for the oral presentation. Students who arrive late to class must inform the professor at the end of the session to make sure they are not marked absent that day. Students who must leave early on a particular day need to notify the professor before the class.
Academic Integrity and Student Behavior:
Students are expected to maintain the highest level of academic integrity. Academic dishonesty (papers and exams) will not be accepted. Any student engaging in academic dishonesty during this course will receive a lowered grade for the course depending on the nature of the action, and could possibly be referred to the administration for further disciplinary action.
Students are asked not to carry on unrelated conversations during class. You are expected to pay attention and to be courteous. Major breaches of conduct or impropriety will receive a lowered grade.
Cell phones and pagers must be turned off while attending class.
Office Location and Hours:
Dr. Feldman’s office is located at Room B-4 in Cooper Hall. Office hours are Mondays from 2-6 PM, or by appointment. Students are strongly encouraged to meet with the professor during office hours or by appointment.