Oberlin College
FYSP 146
Fall 2007
Time: T/Th 1:30 – 2:45
Location: King 243
Dr. Meredith Raimondo
Phone: 775-5291
Email: meredith.raimondo@oberlin.edu
Office: King 141G
Office Hours: W 9 – 11, T 10 - 11 or by appt.
HIV/AIDS IN AMERICA
Description:
For more than two decades, the AIDS pandemic has represented a serious public health crisis and
raised a range of controversial issues including sexuality, drug use, discrimination, the
economics of health care, the ethics of biomedical research, and the meaning of individual and
social responsibility. We will take stock of the “state of the epidemic” by exploring a range of
perspectives on the history, present, and future of HIV/AIDS. This interdisciplinary focus will
encourage students to think critically about the specific contributions of particular methodologies
and disciplines as well as the value of question-based inquiry that cuts across the traditional
organization of research. Our primary focus on the United States will allow us to explore both
the relationship of individuals and communities to the nation as well as the role of the nation in
global policy debates. Through the course we will ask how a specific focus on HIV/AIDS helps
illuminate the dynamics of inequality and social justice in the United States.
Course Objectives:
1) to enable students to place HIV/AIDS related issues and controversies in historical and
social context
2) to understand and apply key concepts including the social construction of illness,
intersectionality, structure, and agency
3) to explore the relationship between HIV/AIDS and inequality through case studies with a
particular focus on social change
4) to equip students to manage and analyze readings from a range of social science
perspectives
5) to develop critical analytic skills through discussion and writing
6) to identify, evaluate, develop and support argumentative theses
Required Texts:
Books are available at the Oberlin College Bookstore (or on reserve at Mudd Library):
Berger, Michele Tracy. Workable Sisterhood: The Political Journey of Stigmatized Women with
HIV/AIDS.
Kidder, Tracy. Mountains Beyond Mountains: The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, A Man Who
Would Cure the World. New York: Random House, 2004.
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Klitzman, Robert and Ronald Bayer. Mortal Secrets: Truth and Lies in the Age of AIDS.
Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 2003.
Shevory, Thomas. Notorious H.I.V.: The Media Spectacle of Nushawn Williams. Minneapolis:
University of Minnesota Press, 2004.
Articles marked with a * in the schedule of readings are available through Blackboard under the
“Course Materials” tab.
Course Policies:
Discussion: The academic study of inequality often raises issues which are controversial or
evoke strong personal feelings. There are few “right” answers to the questions we are
exploring; my goal in this course is to help you to develop the skills to articulate your own
positions. It is therefore critical that everyone commits to making this classroom a space for
the honest and open expression of difference. I ask that course members respond to carefully
thought-out ideas and questions with patience and respect.
Reading: This reading-intensive seminar is intended to cultivate the skills to allow you to
manage lengthy assignments. Do not try to read every word; focus on key arguments, methods,
and sources. If you find you are having trouble finishing the reading, please see me so we can
identify effective strategies for completing the assignments.
Late Policy: It is your commitment to this class and your classmates that you will be present and
ready to begin work at the start of class. Repeated lateness may result in significant deductions to
your final grade in this course.
Course assignments must be submitted on time in order to receive full credit. I will deduct 1/3 of a
grade for each 24 hours an assignment is late (i.e., from B+ to B). Late papers may not receive
written comments. Requests for extensions must be submitted by email at least 48 hours prior to
the assignment due date and are generally available only for extraordinary circumstances. If you
receive an extension, you must include copy of my approval (including revised due date) with your
assignment in order to receive on-time credit. Papers due in class must be turned in at the start of
class to receive on-time credit.
Assignment Format: Written assignments should word-processed, double-spaced, and use a
standard font type and size (12 point Times New Roman or the equivalent). Include your
name, the date, a title, and page numbers. If you are required to submit a paper copy, you must
staple the pages. Please be sure to proofread carefully for style and grammar. Papers that do
not follow proper formatting instructions may receive a 1/3 of a grade deduction.
P/NP: If you are taking this course P/NP, you must fulfill all course obligations and complete all
assignments in order to receive credit for the course.
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Honor Code: This course will follow the policies described in the Oberlin College Honor Code and
Honor System. Please include the statement “I affirm that I have adhered to the Honor Code in this
assignment” in all written work. If you have any questions about academic honesty, citation, or the
relationship of the Honor Code to your work in this course, please let me know.
Students with Disabilities: If you need disability-related accommodations for your work in this
course, please let me know. Support is available through Student Academic Services—please
contact Jane Boomer, Coordinator of Services for Students with Disabilities, for assistance in
developing a plan to address your academic needs.
Assignments:
Please note: These descriptions give you a brief overview of the course assignments and deadlines; a handout
describing each assignment more fully will be provided in class.
1. PARTICIPATION (10%): In order for our time in this seminar together to be as productive
as possible, you will be expected to contribute to three areas as follows:
Attendance: This course will be primarily conducted as a discussion course; therefore,
your consistent on-time attendance is required. After two absences, additional absences
will generally lower your final grade in the course (1/3 of a grade per two additional
absences). Each late arrival will be counted as one-half of an absence. In case of illness
or personal emergency, absences may be excused through a doctor or dean’s note.
Discussion: Your thoughtful spoken analysis and active listening will be a central
component of your work in this course. If you are uncomfortable speaking in class,
please come and see me and we can discuss strategies for your participation.
In-class Activities: In-class activities may include discussion in small groups, writing
assignments, or other collaborative work.
2. KEYWORDS PRESENTATION (10%). Sep 25 – 27. In your small group, present your
keyword to the class by offering an overview of your argument and research. Your
presentation should last 20 - 25 minutes and include a 1 page handout. You may organize it
in any way you like as long as everyone in your group speaks.
3. PAPER 1 (Keywords) INITIAL DRAFT (5%). 5 - 7 pages. Due Sep 28 by 4 p.m. to King
141-G. Jan Zita Grover writes, “‘AIDS: Keywords’ is my attempt to identify and contest
some of the assumptions underlying our current knowledge” (18). What assumptions did you
find in your analysis of the uses of your key word?
4. PAPER 1 (Keywords) REVISION (15%). 5- 7 pages. Due Oct 8 by 4 p.m. to King 141-G.
Please note that this assignment includes a required peer edit of a partner’s draft; if you fail
to complete your peer edit (due October 1 by 4 p.m. to Blackboard), you will lose one full
letter grade on the revision.
5. PAPER 2 (Myths of Identity) (15%). 4 - 5 pages. Due Oct 19 at 4 p.m. to King 141-G.
“Myths of identity have framed the interpretation of AIDS, and it remains a disease that
attaches—rightly or wrongly—to identities,” wrote literary critic Thomas Yingling in AIDS
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and the National Body (Durham: Duke University Press, 1997: 49). Use either/or Shevory
and Berger, explain 1) how “myths of identity” have shaped “the interpretation of AIDS,”
and 2) what you see as the consequences of this process of framing.
6. PAPER 3 (Prevention and Education) (15%). 4 - 5 pages. Due Nov. 19 by 4 p.m. to King
141-G. Identify one or more key challenges in effective AIDS prevention. What do you see
as the most effective approach to address these challenges? Use examples from the assigned
readings to support your answer.
7. PAPER 2 OR 3 REVISION (10 %). May not exceed 6 pages. Due Dec. 3 by 4 p.m. to
King 141-G. Choose either Paper 2 or 3 and revise it using feedback from your peer editor,
the instructor, and your own analysis of your initial draft. Please note that this assignment
includes a required peer edit of a partner’s draft (due Nov. 28 at 4 p.m. to King 141-G); if
you fail to complete your peer edit, you will lose one full letter grade on the final assignment.
8. FINAL PROJECT. You may choose between the following options for your project. If
you have a project idea that does not fit within either of these options, please make an
appointment to see me before the proposal due date.
a) HIV/AIDS Controversy Research Paper. 8 – 10 pages per member. Either
individually or in a small group, choose an HIV/AIDS related controversy to research.
Your goal in this paper is to develop an interpretive thesis that takes a clear position in
relation to the controversy. Your paper must include a minimum of 4 peer-reviewed
sources per group member.
b) AIDS Prevention Research Project. Either individually or in a small group, develop
AIDS education materials. Forms may vary, including brochures, websites,
performances, etc. Your project must draw on peer-reviewed research in regards to the
specific issues/populations you are targeting (a minimum of 4 sources per group). In
addition to documentation of the project, you must provide an annotated bibliography of
your research and a 2 - 3 page statement of intent.
The final project has three required steps:
1. FINAL PROJECT PROPOSAL. 1 ½ - 2 pages. Due Nov. 5 by 4 p.m. to King 141-G.
Describe the focus of your final project. If you do not have a clear idea about your thesis,
you may focus on the questions you hope to answer. Your proposal should include a
bibliography of 3 – 5 preliminary sources that you used to develop your proposal. Your
proposal will not be graded, but failure to complete the proposal on time will result in a
penalty of one full letter grade on the final project.
2. FINAL PROJECT PRESENTATION (5%). 10 minutes. Due December 11 and 13.
Offer a presentation of your final project, utilizing at least one visual aid. Presentations
should offer an analytical thesis that connects your project to course themes.
3. FINAL PROJECT (15%). Due Dec. 18 by 4 p.m. to King 141-G. You may choose
between the following options for your project. If you have a project idea that does not
fit into either of these options, please make an appointment to see me before the proposal
due date.
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Summary of Grading Policy:
Participation…………………………..10%
Keywords Presentation…….………....10%
Initial Draft Paper 1……………....……5%
Revision Paper 1…...............................15%
Paper 2…………………………...…...15%
Paper 3….….........................................15%
Revision Paper 2 or 3 ...........................10%
Final Project Presentation……….……..5%
Final Project…………………………...15%
Summary of Deadlines:
Sep 25 - 27
Keywords Presentations
Sep 28
Initial Draft of Paper 1
Oct 1
Peer edit of Paper 1
Oct 8
Revision of Paper 1
Oct 19
Paper 2
Nov 5
Final Project Proposal
Nov 19
Paper 3
Nov 28
Peer edit of Paper 2 or 3
Dec 3
Revision of Paper 2 or 3
Dec 11 - 13
Final Project Presentation
Dec 18
Final Project
Schedule of Readings:
(This schedule may change; if so, you will be informed at least 72 hours in advance by email.)
T Sep 4:
Introductions
Th Sep 6:
The Biological Challenges of HIV
∙ Eileen Stillwaggon, “HIV Specific Synergies,” 45 – 66*
∙ Paul Spearman, “Current Progress in the Development of HIV Vaccines,”
1147 – 1167*
Reflection Question: What biological aspects of HIV infection create challenges for social
policy?
IDENTITIES/HISTORIES
T Sep 11: The Queer Paradigm
∙ Robert Padgug, “Gay Villain, Gay Hero,” 293 – 313*
∙ Steve Epstein, “The Nature of a New Threat,” 45 – 66*
Reflection Question: How did the social politics of sexuality shape emerging understandings of
the AIDS epidemic?
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Th Sep 13: Bodies and Borders
∙ Jennifer Brier, “The Immigrant Infection,” 253 – 270*
∙ Paul Farmer, “Pestilence and Restraint,” 51 – 90*
Reflection Question: What is the relationship between immigration, rights, public health?
T Sep 18: Keyword Project (Library Session)
∙ Jan Zita Grover, “AIDS: Keywords,” 17 – 30*
Reflection Question: What does Grover mean by a keyword?
Th Sep 20: Keyword Project (Library Session)
T Sep 25: Keyword Presentations (Groups 1 and 2)
Th Sep 27: Keyword Presentations (Groups 3 and 4)
F Sep 28: Initial Draft of Paper 1 due to Blackboard by 4 p.m.
M Oct 1:
Peer edit of Paper 1 due to Blackboard discussion forum by 4 p.m.
REPRESENTATION AND RESISTANCE
T Oct 2:
Narrating Blame
∙ Shevory, 1 – 70
Reflection Question: How does Shevory use the concept of moral panic to explain the response
to the Williams case?
Th Oct 4:
Criminalization
∙ Shevory, 71 - 170
Reflection Question: Do you agree with Shevory’s critique of the legal response in the Williams
case?
M Oct 8:
***Revision of Paper 1 due to King 141-G by 4 p.m.
T Oct 9:
Marginalization and Stigma
∙ Berger, 1 – 86
Reflection Question: What does Berger mean by “intersectional stigma,” and how is this concept
important to helping to her listen to the stories of the women who participate in her study?
Th Oct 11: Situating Experiences of HIV/AIDS
∙ Berger, 87 – 142
Reflection Question: How do the women in Berger’s study become political agents?
T Oct 16: Social Location and Social Justice
∙ Berger, 143 – 192
Reflection Question: Berger calls on scholar to “broader our notion of what is political” (186).
How does she accomplish this goal in this text?
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Th Oct 18: Power/Knowledge
∙ Douglas Crimp with Adam Ralston, AIDS DemoGraphics, 11 – 43*
∙ Brett Stockdill, “ACTing UP for Prisoners with AIDS,” 83 – 120*
∙ James Wentzy, Fight Back, Fight AIDS (to be screened in class)
Reflection Question: What were the goals and strategies of these activist projects?
F Oct 19: Paper 2 due to King 141-G at 4 p.m.
T Oct 23: Fall Break—No Meeting
Th Oct 25: Fall Break—No Meeting
PREVENTION, EDUCATION, CHANGE
T Oct 30: The Limits of Information?
∙ Dan Wolfheiler and Jonathan Ellen, “The Limits of Behavioral Interventions
for HIV Prevention,” 329 – 347*
∙ Lorraine Peeler, “Social Construction and Social Transmission of HIV/AIDS,”
109 – 141*
Reflection Question: To what extent is HIV prevention an individual concern? How might a
social and structural approach enhance the efficacy of HIV prevention?
Th Nov 1:
Secrets and Social Relationships
∙ Klitzman and Bayer, 1 – 96
Reflection Question: What do the authors finds as the key reasons that participants keep secrets
about HIV/AIDS?
M Nov 5: ***Final Project Proposal due to King 141-G by 4 p.m.
T Nov 6:
Disclosure, Morality, and Rights
∙ Klitzman and Bayer, 97 – 201
Reflection Question: What do you see as the relationship between the moral and legal questions
related to disclosure of HIV status?
Th Nov 8:
Harm Reduction
∙Thomas Kerr et al, “Harm Reduction in Prisons,” 345 – 360*
∙ Michael Rekart, “Sex Work Harm Reduction,” 2123 – 2134*
Reflection Question: How would you resolve tensions between the criminalization of behavior
and harm reduction approaches?
T Nov 13: Situating Interventions
∙Irene Vernon, “Native American Youth and AIDS,” 60 – 80*
∙ Cynthia Prather et al, “Diffusing an HIV Prevention Intervention for African
American Women,” 149 – 160*
∙Kurt Organista et al, “An Exploratory Study of HIV Prevention with
Mexican/Latino Day Laborers,” 89 – 114*
Reflection Question: How do these authors demonstrate the importance of tailoring HIV
prevention programs to the needs of differently situated communities?
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Th Nov 15: The Politics of Abstinence
∙John Jemmott and Dana Fray, “The Abstinence Strategy for Reducing Sexual
Risk Behavior,” 109 – 137*
∙Susan Hunter, “Teen Sex and Abstinence”*
∙Lisa Remez, “Oral Sex among Adolescents,” 298 – 305*
Reflection Question: What role do you think abstinence should play in HIV prevention
programs focused on youth?
M Nov 19: Paper 3 due to King 141-G at 4 p.m.
T Nov 20: Inequality and Desire
∙ Rafael Díaz, “In Our Own Backyard,” 50 - 65*
∙Héctor Carillo, “Where Does Oppression End and Pleasure Begin?,” 109 –
122*
∙Michael Shernoff, “Why Do Men Bareback?,” 65 – 100*
Reflection Question: How do these authors explain the reasons that people may not practice
safer sex even if they are aware of the potential for HIV transmission?
Th Nov 22: Thanksgiving—No class meeting
HIV/AIDS AND GLOBAL HEALTH INEQUALITIES
T Nov 27:
Globalizing Treatment Activism
∙ Raymond Smith and Patricia Siplon, “Many Places, One Goal,” 81 – 116* and
“Win Some, Keep Going,” 117 – 148*
Reflection Question: What responsibility does the United States have towards the global AIDS
pandemic and its attendant inequalities?
W Nov 28: Peer edit of Paper 2 or 3 due to Blackboard by 4 p.m.
Th Nov 29: “A Preferential Option for the Poor”
∙ Tracy Kidder, Mountain Beyond Mountains, 1 – 95
Reflection Question: Kidder explains that for Farmer, the Péligre Dam “was a lens on the
world” (44). How does Kidder use Farmer’s life as another kind of lens on the world?
M Dec 3:
Revision of Paper 2 or 3 due to King 141-G by 4 p.m.
T Dec 4:
Taking on “The Great Epi Divide”
∙ Tracy Kidder, Mountain Beyond Mountains, 96 – 192
Reflection Question: In what ways might the story Kidder tells about MDR TB offer a model for
addressing AIDS and other global health crises?
Th Dec 6:
“What is Reasonable to Do”
∙ Tracy Kidder, Mountain Beyond Mountains, 193 – 301
Reflection Question: Kidder tells the story of Farmer’s work as a story about the possibility of
change. What are some of the changes you think would be most effective in confronting health
inequalities?
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T Dec 11: Final Project Presentations
Th Dec 13: Final Project Presentations
T Dec 18: Final project due by 4 p.m. to King 141-G.
***PLEASE NOTE: NO LATE PROJECTS WILL BE ACCEPTED.
Citations for Articles on Reserve
Brier, Jennifer. “The Immigrant Infection: Images of Race, Nation, and Contagion in Public
Debates on AIDS and Immigration.” In Modern American Queer History, ed. Allida Black.
Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 2001. 253 – 270.
Carillo, Héctor. “Where Does Oppression End and Pleasure Begin?: Confronting Sexual and
Gender Inequality in HIV Prevention Work.” In Sexual Inequalities and Social Justice, ed.
Niels Teunis and Gilbert Herdt. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2007. 109 – 122.
Crimp, Douglas with Adam Rolston. AIDS DemoGraphics. Seattle: Bay Press, 1990. 11 – 43.
Díaz, Rafael. “In Our Own Backyard: HIV/AIDS Stigmatization in the Latino Gay Community.”
In Sexual Inequalities and Social Justice, ed. Niels Teunis and Gilbert Herdt. Berkeley:
University of California Press, 2007. 50 – 65.
Epstein, Steve. “The Nature of a New Threat.” In Impure Science: AIDS, Activism, and the
Politics of Knowledge. Berkeley: The University of California Press, 1996. 45 – 66.
Farmer, Paul. “Pestilence and Restraint: Guantánamo, AIDS, and the Logic of Quarantine.” In
Health, Human Rights, and the New War on the Poor. Berkeley: The University of
California Press, 2003. 51 – 90.
Grover, Jan Zita. “AIDS: Keywords.” In AIDS: Cultural Analysis, Cultural Activism, ed.
Douglas Crimp. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press, 1988. 17 – 30.
Hunter, Susan. “Teen Sex and Abstinence.” In AIDS in America. New York: Palgrave
MacMillan, 2006. 45 – 68.
Jemmott III, John and Dana Fry. “The Abstinence Strategy for Reducing Sexual Risk
Behavior.” In Beyond Condoms: Alternative Approaches to HIV Prevention, ed. Ann
O’Leary. New York: Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers, 2002. 109 – 138.
Kerr, Thomas et al. “Harm Reduction in Prisons: A ‘Rights-Based Analysis.’” Critical Public
Health 14, no. 4 (December 2004): 345 – 360.
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Organista, Kurt et al. “An Exploratory Study of HIV Prevention with Mexican/Latino Day
Laborers,” In Outreach and Care Approaches to HIV/AIDS on the U.S.-Mexico Border, ed.
Herman Curiel and Helen Land. New York: Haworth Press, 2006. 89 – 114.
Padgug, Robert. “Gay Villain, Gay Hero: Homosexuality and the Social Construction of AIDS.”
In Passion and Power: Sexuality and History, ed. Kathy Peiss and Christina Simmons
(Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1989): 293 – 313.
Peeler, Lorraine. “Social Construction and Social Transmission of HIV/AIDS.” In African
American Women’s Health and Social Issues, ed. Catherine Fisher Collins. Westport:
Praeger, 2006. 109 – 129.
Prather, Cynthia, Taleria R. Fuller, Winifred King, Mari Brown, Marilyn Moering, Stacey Little,
and Keydra Phillips. “Diffusing an HIV Prevention Intervention for African American
Women: Integrating Afrocentric Components into the SISTA Diffusion Strategy.” AIDS
Education and Prevention 18, Supplement A (2006): 149–160.
Remez, Lisa. “Oral Sex among Adolescents: Is It Sex or Is It Abstinence?” Family Planning
Perspectives 32, no. 6 (Nov/Dec 2000): 298 – 305.
Shernoff, Michael. “Why Do Men Bareback? No Easy Answers.” In Without Condoms:
Unprotected Sex, Gay Men, and Barebacking. New York: Routledge, 2006. 65 – 100.
Smith, Raymond and Patricia Siplon. “Many Places, One Goal: Connecting Global Actors” and
“Win Some, Keep Going: Sustaining Global Treatment Activism.” In Drugs Into Bodies:
Global AIDS Treatment Activism. Westport: Praeger, 2006. 81 – 116, 117 - 148
Spearman, Paul. “Current Progress in the Development of HIV Vaccines.” Current
Pharmaceutical Design 12, no. 9 (April 2006): 1147 – 1167.
Stillwaggon, Eileen. “HIV-Specific Synergies.” In AIDS and the Ecology of Poverty.
Cambridge: Oxford University Press, 2006. 45 – 66.
Stockdill, Brett. “ACTing UP for Prisoners with AIDS: AIDS Activism on Multiple Fronts.” 83
– 120. Boulder: Lynn Rienner Publishers, 2003.
Vernon, Irene. “Native American Youth and HIV/AIDS.” In Killing Us Softly: Native
Americans and HIV/AIDS. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2001. 60 – 80.
Wohlfeiler, Dan and Jonathan Ellen. “The Limits of Behavioral Interventions for HIV
Prevention.” In Prevention is Primary: Strategies for Community Well-Being. San
Francisco: John Wiley & Sons, 2007. 329 – 347.