Please note that this syllabus should be regarded as only a general guide to the course. The instructor may have changed
specific course content and requirements subsequent to posting this syllabus. Last Modified: 22:26:04 09/07/2010
Sociology of HIV/AIDS: Global and U.S. Experiences of Epidemic
SC077: Fall 2010
Tuesdays/Thursdays 9:00-10:20
McGuinn 334
Instructor: Shelley White
Office: McGuinn 410D
Email: mlwhite@bc.edu
Office Hours: Thursdays 10:30-12:00
And by appointment
Course Description
This course explores the social dimensions of global and U.S. experiences of HIV/AIDS. We examine the
social forces that impact and determine the course and experience of the epidemic as we also explore the
impact that the epidemic has had on communities and cultures worldwide. The course surveys 1) the history
and epidemiology of the epidemic; 2) the social construction of the disease; 3) the impact upon and response
from particularly affected communities and social groups; 4) social issues in testing, treatment and
prevention; and 5) the politics of governmental, non-governmental and grassroots responses to the disease.
As a core course, the class will include the following:
Perennial Questions: The HIV/AIDS epidemic teaches us a great deal about society and about ourselves as
global citizens. Through our readings, research, class discussions, and personal reflections, we will be
challenged to consider the following questions: How do we understand HIV, disease, and related social
phenomenon within the broad social system of structural determinants (i.e. social, political, economic, and
environmental)? How is HIV/AIDS socially constructed in society and what role have governments, health
organizations, educational systems, religious institutions, health activists, citizens and others played in
shaping and challenging these understandings of disease? What obligations do societies and individuals have
to respond to HIV/AIDS and other epidemic diseases? How do we understand the concepts of innocence,
morality, blame, stigma and bystanding in the context of global disease? Finally, what are the possibilities
for change, and how might governments, non-governmental institutions, communities, and individuals shape
effective responses to HIV/AIDS?
Historical Perspective: In order to create deep understandings of the contemporary picture of HIV/AIDS, we
must employ a lens that is, in the words of Paul Farmer, “historically deep and geographically broad.” We
begin our course by exploring an in-depth history of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the U.S. and globally. We
consider how early responses and key decisions by those in power shaped the future course of HIV/AIDS.
We also consider the rich history of social movements which have challenged and shaped not only
HIV/AIDS, but deeply entrenched cultural understandings of difference and disease.
Cultural Diversity: Culture has a tremendous influence on disease transmission, prevention approaches,
understandings of health and illness, and personal and political responses to disease. HIV/AIDS, as an
infectious disease long associated with taboo topics of sexuality and drug use, has been deeply stigmatized
and surrounded by cultural myths and misperceptions. In this course, we attempt to disentangle these, and to
understand the various ways in which culture shapes and is shaped by the HIV/AIDS epidemic. We also,
contrary to the early, oft-repeated mantra that “AIDS does not discriminate,” aim to understand HIV/AIDS as
SC077: Fall 2010: Page 1
a disease of inequality. We explore how existing class, gender, sexuality, race and other inequalities have
shaped diverse experiences of HIV/AIDS around the world, and how HIV/AIDS has disproportionately
affected those already disadvantaged in our domestic and global social systems.
Personal Philosophy: This course continually grapples with the question of how a largely preventable
disease has evolved to be one of the most catastrophic epidemics of our times. In 1998, shortly before his
death, Jonathan Mann challenged us, stating: "Our opportunity is historic. For when the history of AIDS and
the global response is written, our most precious contribution may well be that at a time of plague we did not
flee, we did not hide, we did not separate ourselves." Many have called for global action on AIDS, and at
many historical moments, global and U.S. efforts have fallen short. In exploring this complex history and the
contemporary global epidemic, students will be asked to consider their own personal and moral
commitments, their understandings of human rights obligations, and their values around concepts of global
citizenship. Through our readings, research, class discussions, and written assignments, students are also
encouraged to develop their own skills of critical analysis, in questioning existing understandings of
epidemic and response, and imagining new approaches to change.
Methodology: Through our readings and research, this course exposes us to various methodological
approaches employed in sociology, public health, economics, and political science. These include both
qualitative and quantitative approaches, including epidemiological studies, ethnographic and interview-based
research, case studies, household survey research, cross-cultural and comparative analyses, policy analyses
and others. We will examine the ways in which various theoretical approaches shape the perspectives of our
authors, and will consider the limits of academic knowledge production.
Writing component: Students will be encouraged to develop their writing and critical analysis skills through
two written paper assignments. The first will allow students to research HIV/AIDS in a particular country,
and to analyze the factors that have shaped local experiences of epidemic and response. In the second paper,
students will explore a topic of interest related to the social, political, and/or economic aspects of HIV/AIDS.
Students will also produce occasional short, written homework assignments and personal written reflections
that engage the reading materials and course content.
Required Texts
Ryan White: My Own Story (1992) by Ryan White and Ann Marie Cunningham.
Race Against Time (2006) by Steven Lewis.
AIDS in the 21st Century: Disease and Globalization (2006) by Tony Barnett and Alan Whiteside.
Global AIDS: Myths and Facts (2003) by Alexander Irwin, Joyce Millen and Dorothy Fallows.
HIV and AIDS in Africa: Beyond Epidemiology (2004) edited by Ezekiel Kalipeni, Susan Craddock, Joseph
R. Oppong, and Jayati Ghosh.
SC077: Fall 2010: Page 2
Course Requirements and Grading
Paper 1: Country Study
Paper 2: Issue Analysis
Final Exam (Take Home)
Short Homework Assignments & Quizzes
Attendance and Course Preparation*
Due October 14th
Due November 23rd
Due by December 15th at 10:00 AM
Assigned Periodically
25%
25%
25%
15%
10%
*Please note that there is one required evening session for the course, on October 27th from 7:30-9:30.
Attendance for this session will be counted as double.
Policy on Papers and Exams
Papers are due on the date indicated above, at the start of the class session. Extensions are granted only on
rare occasions, and with proper documentation (i.e. medical note, Dean‟s note). For late papers, one full
grade is deducted for each week the paper is late (i.e. for the first week late, the maximum grade is B+). If a
paper is due Tuesday, it is considered one week late if it is not collected during the class session, whether it is
passed in on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday or any day until the following Tuesday.
Please print out your papers, review them for quality, and hand them in during class. Papers will be accepted
by email only in unusual circumstances, and with prior permission. The Final Take Home Exam should be
printed and passed in to my mailbox in McGuinn 410 any time prior to December 15th at 10:00 AM. If you
plan to leave campus prior to December 15th, it is your responsibility to ensure that you have passed in a
paper copy of your exam prior to your departure. Exams will be collected promptly at 10:00 AM on
December 15th and late exams will not be accepted.
Academic Integrity
Students should be familiar with, and carefully follow, the Boston College Policy on Academic Integrity,
found at: http://www.bc.edu/offices/stserv/academic/resources/policy.html#integrity. When writing papers,
be sure to cite any material that is not your own as well as any material you have previously written, whether
direct quotes or concepts and ideas.
Academic Support
Students requiring accommodations for success in this course should see me, and should contact the Office
of Disability Services: http://www.bc.edu/offices/odsd/disabilityservices.html. The Connors Family
Learning Center is also available for tutoring and academic support:
http://www.bc.edu/libraries/help/tutoring.html
Technology
Use of laptop computers and cell phones during class is not permitted, except with prior permission. Please
see me if you require the use of a laptop for note taking.
Readings and Class Schedule
Readings are assigned on a weekly basis. Please come to class each week, on Tuesday, having read the
material for the week. Our tentative course schedule is provided below, though this schedule may change as
we move through our semester.
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Tentative Schedule of Readings and Assignments
Part I: History and Overview of Epidemic
September 7 and 9
Introduction and Course Overview
Overview of HIV/AIDS Epidemic; Basics of HIV Transmission
Readings: 71 pgs
Irwin, et al – HIV/AIDS Basics (4 pgs)
Barnett/Whiteside – Chapters 1 & 2 (67 pgs)
Optional Readings:
Irwin, et al – Myth 1: AIDS and Africa (18 pgs)
September 14 and 16
A History of the Epidemic: Creating a Timeline
Readings: 287 pgs
Ryan White – Entire Text, through Afterword (287 pgs)
September 21 and 23
Understanding Stigma
AIDS in Africa
Readings: 117 pgs
Herek, Gregory M. 2005. “AIDS and Stigma.” Pp.121-129 in The Sociology of Health and
Illness: Critical Perspectives. 7th ed. Edited by Peter Conrad. New York, NY: Worth
Publishers. [E-Reserve] (6 pgs)
Ellwood, William N. 1999. “Burden of Sin: Transmitting Messages and Viruses in a
Stigmatized Plague.” Pp. 3-7 in Power in the Blood: A Handbook on AIDS, Politics and
Communication. Edited by William N. Ellwood. London: Psychology Press. [E-Reserve] (4
pgs)
Kalipeni, et al – Chapter 23 (5 pgs)
Barnett/Whiteside – Chapter 5 (32 pgs)
Lewis – Chapters 1 & 2 (36 pgs; 34 pgs)
Part II: Social Causation and Social Construction
September 28 and 30
Understanding Impact/ Measuring an Epidemic
Social Causation of Disease
Readings: 112 pgs
SC077: Fall 2010: Page 4
Link, Bruce G. and Phelan, Jo. 1995. “Social Conditions as Fundamental Causes of Disease.”
Journal of Health and Social Behavior 35: 80-94. [E-Reserve] (14 pgs)
Ecological Model of Health [Hand-Out] (2 pgs)
Barnett/Whiteside – Chapters 3 & 6 (30 pgs; 28 pgs)
Lewis – Chapter 3 (38 pgs)
October 5 and 7
Identity and Inequality: Race, Class and Gender
Social Constructions of Disease
Readings: 119 pgs
Kalipeni, et al –Intro & Chapters 1, 3, & 6 (11 pgs; 14 pgs; 9 pgs; 15 pgs)
Lewis – Chapter 4 (36 pgs)
Farmer, Paul. 1999. “Invisible Women.” Pp. 59-93 in Infections and Inequalities: The Modern
Plagues. Berkeley and Los Angeles, CA: University of California Press. [E-Reserve] (35 pgs)
Optional Readings:
Kalipeni, et al – Chapters 8, 9, & 12 (12 pgs; 10 pgs; 8 pgs)
CDC. 2008. “HIV/AIDS Among Women.” Available on-line at:
http://cdc.gov/hiv/topics/women/resources/factsheets/pdf/women.pdf (7 pgs)
CDC. 2009. “HIV/AIDS Among African Americans. Available on-line at:
http://cdc.gov/hiv/topics/aa/resources/factsheets/pdf/aa.pdf (2 pgs)
October 12 and 14
Identity and Inequality: Sexuality and Drug Use
Social Constructions of Disease
Due October 14th: Paper 1 – Country Study
Readings: 80 pgs
Irwin, et al – Myth 2: Dangerous Behavior (22 pgs)
Kalipeni, et al – Chapters 11 & 20 (12 pgs; 12 pgs)
Donovan, Mark C. 1996. “The Politics of Deservedness: The Ryan White Care Act and the
Social Constructions of People with AIDS.” Pp. 68-85 in AIDS: The Politics and Policy of
Disease, Edited by Stella Z. Theodolou. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. [E-Reserve] (17
pgs)
Donovan, Mark C. 1999. “A Tough Sell: The Political Logic of Federal Needle-Exchange
Policy.” Pp. 353-368 in Power in the Blood: A Handbook on AIDS, Politics and
Communication. Edited by William N. Ellwood. London: Psychology Press. [E-Reserve] (15
pgs)
Egelko, Bob. 2009. “U.S. Repeals Funding Ban for Needle Exchanges.” San Francisco
Chronicle, December 18. Available on-line at: http://articles.sfgate.com/2009-1218/news/17331688_1_needle-exchange-programs-needle-exchanges-clean-needles (2 pgs)
SC077: Fall 2010: Page 5
Optional Readings:
CDC. 2009. “HIV and AIDS among Gay and Bisexual Men.” Available on-line at:
http://www.cdc.gov/NCHHSTP/newsroom/docs/FastFacts-MSM-FINAL508COMP.pdf (3pgs)
Avert. “Injecting Drugs, Drug Users and HIV and AIDS.” Available on-line at:
http://www.avert.org/injecting.htm (7 pgs)
CDC. 2005. “Access to Sterile Syringes.” Available on-line at:
http://www.cdc.gov/idu/facts/aed_idu_acc.htm (3 pgs)
CDC. 2005. “State and Local Policies Regarding IDUs Access to Sterile Syringes.” Available
on-line at: http://www.cdc.gov/idu/facts/aed_idu_pol.htm (3 pgs)
CDC. 2005. “Syringe Exchange Programs.” Available on-line at:
http://www.cdc.gov/idu/facts/aed_idu_syr.htm (3 pgs)
Part III: Human Rights, Development and Economy
October 19 and 21
HIV/AIDS and Human Rights
Readings: 80 pgs
Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Available on-line at:
http://www.un.org/Overview/rights.html (2 pgs)
Declaration of Alma Ata. Available on-line at:
http://www.who.int/hpr/NPH/docs/declaration_almaata.pdf (3 pgs)
Farmer, Paul. 2005. “On Suffering and Structural Violence: Social and Economic Rights in the
Global Era.” Pp. 29-50 in Pathologies of Power: Health, Human Rights, and the New War on
the Poor. Berkeley and Los Angeles, CA: University of California Press. [E-Reserve] (21 pgs)
Annas, George J. 2005. “Human Rights and Health: The Universal Declaration of Human Rights
at 50.” Pp. 63-70 in Perspectives on Health and Human Rights, edited by Sofia Gruskin,
Michael A. Grodin, George J. Annas, and Stephen P. Marks. New York: Routledge. [E-Reserve]
(7 pgs)
Kalipeni, et al – Chapter 18 (11 pgs)
AIDS.org. “HIV Travel/Immigration Ban: Background/Documentation.” Available on-line at:
http://www.aids.org/atn/a-128-03.html (12 pgs)
UNAIDS. 2010. “UN Secretary-General applauds the removal of entry restrictions based on
HIV status by United States of America and Republic of Korea.” January 4. Available on-line
at:
http://www.unaids.org/en/KnowledgeCentre/Resources/FeatureStories/archive/2010/20100104_t
ravelrestrictions.asp (2 pgs)
Elliot, Richard. 2002. “Criminal Law, Public Health, and HIV Transmission: A Policy Options
Paper.” Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network. Available on-line at:
http://data.unaids.org/publications/IRC-pub02/jc733-criminallaw_en.pdf PLEASE READ
PAGES 5-14 (9 pgs)
National Public Radio. 2009. “Should HIV be Criminalized?” Available on-line at:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=105118629 (~13 pgs, or listen to audio)
SC077: Fall 2010: Page 6
October 26 and 28
Households, Families and Children
***October 27th: Required Evening Session: 7:30-9:30***
Readings: 99 pgs
Barnett/Whiteside – Chapters 7 & 8 (13 pgs; 28 pgs)
Kalipeni, et al – Chapters 14 & 19 (13 pgs; 20 pgs)
de Bruyn, Maria. 2002. “Reproductive Choice and Women Living with HIV/AIDS.” Ipas.
Available on-line at: http://www.ipas.org/Publications/asset_upload_file116_3009.pdf (25 pgs)
Optional Readings:
Kalipeni, et al – Chapter 22 (11 pgs)
November 2 and 4
Labor and the Economics of HIV
HIV/AIDS and Development
Readings: 116 pgs
Barnett/Whiteside: Chapters 9, 10 & 11 (24; 28 pgs; 25 pgs)
Kalipeni, et al – Chapters 15 & 21 (11 pgs, 13 pgs)
Rosen, Sydney and Simon, Jonathon L. 2003. “Shifting the Burden: The Private Sector‟s
Response to the AIDS Epidemic in Africa.” Bulletin of the World Health Organization 81(2):
131-137. Available on-line at:
http://info.worldbank.org/etools/docs/library/57496/Shifting%20the%20burden%20of%20HIV%
20-%20AIDS.pdf (11 pgs)
Rolbein, Seth. 2010. “What the Tea Leaves Say.” Bostonia. Winter-Spring 2010. Pp. 30-35. (4
pgs)
Part IV: Politics of Response
November 9 and 11
Governance and Policy
***NO CLASSES THIS WEEK – Please complete readings below to discuss the following week***
Readings: 74 pgs
Barnett/Whiteside – Chapters 12 & 14 (26 pgs; 16 pgs)
Irwin, et al – Myth 3: Corruption & Myth 4: Prevention vs. Treatment? (18 pgs; 14 pgs)
Optional Readings:
Lewis – Chapter 5 (46 pgs)
Barnett/Whiteside – Chapters 13 (32 pgs)
SC077: Fall 2010: Page 7
November 16 and 18
Treatment, Medication Access, and Global Trade
Readings: 96 pgs
Conrad, Peter. 2005. “The Meaning of Medications: Another Look at Compliance.” Pp.150-162
in The Sociology of Health and Illness: Critical Perspectives. 7th ed. Edited by Peter Conrad.
New York, NY: Worth Publishers. [E-Reserve] (10 pgs)
Irwin, et al – Myth 5: Obstacles to AIDS Treatment; Myth 6: Vaccines & Myth 7: Profits vs.
Health (14 pgs; 8 pgs; 20 pgs)
Bond, Patrick. 1999. “Globalization, Pharmaceutical Pricing, and South African Health Policy:
Managing Confrontations with U.S. Firms and Politicians.” International Journal of Health
Services 29(4): 765-792. [E-Reserve] (28 pgs)
Greene, Melissa Fay. 2006. “Chapter 28.” Pp. 183-206 in There Is No Me Without You. New
York, NY: Bloomsbury. [E-Reserve] (15 pgs)
WTO. 2001. “Declaration on the TRIPS Agreement and Public Health.” Available on-line at:
http://www.wto.org/english/thewto_e/minist_e/min01_e/mindecl_trips_e.htm (1 pgs)
November 23
Global Commitment
Due November 23: Paper 2 – Issue Analysis
***November 25: NO CLASS – THANKSGIVING BREAK***
Readings: 26 pgs
Porpora, Douglas V. 1992. “The Banality of Evil.” Pp. 15-38 in How Holocausts Happen: The
United States in Central America. Philadelphia: Temple University Press. [E-Reserve] (18 pgs)
Kaiser Family Foundation. 2009. “Views on the U.S. Role in Global Health Update.”
Available on-line at: http://kff.org/globalhealth/upload/8013.pdf (6 pgs)
Global Fund. “About the Global Fund.” Available on-line at:
http://www.theglobalfund.org/en/about/ (1 pg)
Global Fund. “History.” Available on-line at: http://www.theglobalfund.org/en/history/?lang=en
(1 pg)
Global Fund. “How the Global Fund Works.” Available on-line at:
http://www.theglobalfund.org/en/how/?lang=en (1 pg)
November 30 and December 2
Sex Education and Behavior Change
Readings: 86 pgs
Siplon, Patricia D. 2002. “Dueling Models of AIDS Prevention: Harm Reduction and
Abstinence.” Pp. 67-92 in AIDS and the Policy Struggle in the U.S. Washington, DC:
Georgetown University Press. [E-Reserve] (23 pgs)
Lindberg, Laura Duberstein, John S. Santelli, and Susheela Singh. 2006. “Changes in Formal
Sex Education: 1995-2002.” Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health 38(4): 182-189.
[E-Reserve] (7 pgs)
SC077: Fall 2010: Page 8
Avert. “President‟s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief.” Available on-line at:
http://www.avert.org/pepfar.htm (15 pgs)
Skolnik, Richard L. 2007. “Culture and Health.” Pp. 97-112 in Essentials of Global Health.
Sudbury, Massachusetts: Jones and Bartlett. [E-Reserve] (15 pgs)
Human Rights Watch. 2005. “Summary” (pp.1-5) and “Recommendations” (pp.6-12) in The
Less They Know, the Better: Abstinence-Only HIV/AIDS Programs in Uganda. March 25.
Available on-line at:
http://www.crin.org/docs/resources/treaties/crc.40/Uganda_hrw_aids_ngo_report.pdf (12 pgs)
Kirby, Douglas. 2008. “Success in Uganda: An Overview of Uganda‟s Campaign to Change
Sexual Behaviors and Decrease HIV Prevalence, 1986-1995.” ETR Associates. Available online at: http://programservices.etr.org/base/documents/Uganda-ExecSummary.pdf (21 pgs)
Optional Readings:
Kalipeni, et al – Chapter 13 (16 pgs)
The United States President‟s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. 2009. “PEPFAR Overview”
Available on-line at: http://www.pepfar.gov/press/81352.htm (2 pgs)
Part V: Social Movements and Social Change
December 7 and 9
Global Activism and Health
Readings: 109 pgs
Irwin, et al – Myth 8: Limited Resources; Myth 9: Nothing to Gain & Myth 10: Nothing We Can
Do (17 pgs, 12 pgs, 18 pgs)
Stockdill, B.C. AIDS, Multiple Inequalities, and Activism. In Activism against AIDS: At the
Intersections of Sexuality, Race, Gender, and Class. pp. 1-24. [E-Reserve] (23 pgs)
Gamson, Josh. 1989. “Silence, Death, and the Invisible Enemy: AIDS Activism and Social
Movement „Newness.‟” Social Problems, 36(4): 351-367. [E-Reserve] (16 pgs)
Mbali, Mandisa. “The Treatment Action Campaign and the History of Rights-Based, PatientDriven HIV/AIDS Activism in South Africa.” Center for Civil Society, University of KwaZuluNatal. [E-Reserve] (23 pgs)
Due on or before December 15th at 10:00 AM: Final Take-Home Exam
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Useful Websites
Kaiser Family Foundation
http://www.kff.org
http://www.kaisernetwork.org
UNAIDS
www.unaids.org
The Body
www.thebody.com
Avert
http://www.avert.org/
The Global Fund
http://www.theglobalfund.org/
AIDS Education Global Information System
(AEGiS)
http://www.aegis.com/
World Health Organization
http://www.who.int/en/
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
www.cdc.gov
HIV InSite
http://hivinsite.ucsf.edu/
Health Resources and Services Administration:
HIV/AIDS Bureau
http://hab.hrsa.gov/aboutus.htm
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