HIV/AIDS in a Global Context
CA 180.02, Duke University, Spring 2002
Meets Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, 11:50-12:40pm, Soc Sci 124
Course instructor: Tom Boellstorff (pronounced “BELL-storf”), tboellst@uci.edu
COURSE SUMMARY
In the year 2000, HIV became the world’s leading infectious cause of adult death (Farmer et al. 2001:404), and in the next ten years HIV will kill more people than all wars of the twentieth century combined. More than two decades have passed since we gained enough understanding of HIV to end its transmission, yet the global caseload skyrockets. More than five years have passed since highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) has made it possible to greatly improve the lives of those infected with HIV; yet access to treatment remains segregated by wealth. As the global epidemic rages on, we continue to find that our greatest enemy in combating HIV/AIDS is not knowledge or resources, but the conceptual frameworks with which we understand health and human being.
This course provides a theoretical foundation for a cultural analysis and response to HIV/AIDS. Rather than attempting to cover every dimension of the epidemic, course readings and discussion bring together a set of theoretical texts concerning topics such as disease, the body, ethnicity/race, gender, sexuality, risk, addiction, power, and culture together with a set of ethnographic texts that explore the epidemic’s impact. We will also discuss how to critically analyze the massive amount of information concerning HIV/AIDS. Besides Reading Responses and a take-home final, the main requirement for the course will be a research paper in which students apply concepts from the course to examine cultural dimensions of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in cases of their own choosing. Topics that might be explored in these papers include, but are by no means limited to: the binarisms of treatment/prevention and identity/behavior, conceptions of risk, ethnicity/race, gender, youth, sexuality, activism, drug use, illness, the clinical encounter, national belonging, the body, the pharmaceutical industry, globalization, development discourse, policy, and notions of community.
COURSE STRUCTURE
This course’s structure may differ from other courses you have taken. It has about the same amount of work as a normal upper-division undergraduate course, but the work is distributed differently.
Reading Responses: This course follows a seminar format and will require a high degree of participation from students. With this in mind, each student must submit Reading Responses for 15 (FIFTEEN) of the TWENTY-FOUR class meetings for which readings are assigned. Each Reading Response is worth three points (in other words, EACH READING RESPONSE IS WORTH THREE PERCENT OF YOUR TOTAL GRADE). Be sure you understand the requirements for Reading Responses:
#1 You MUST turn in Reading Responses for the third and fourth class meetings (Monday, January 14 and Wednesday, January 16). Beyond these requirements, you can turn in Reading Responses in any order you wish. You cannot turn in Reading Responses for days where there is no reading (for instance, a day marked DISCUSSION).
#2 Reading Responses CANNOT BE LESS THAN ¾ PAGE LONG and cannot be more than one page. You will earn at most TWO points if they are too long or too short (for instance, if only half a page long).
#3 Reading Responses cannot be handwritten. They MUST be in a 12 point font, single-spaced, with regular margins (no more than one inch on any side). You will earn at most TWO points if they fail to conform to these guidelines.
#4 Reading Responses must address EACH AND EVERY chapter or text assigned for that day in the form of informed commentary and critical questions. There is always more than one reading for each class meeting; if you do not address each reading in the Reading Responses you will earn at most TWO points. The goal is to “get the readings to talk to each other” through critical comparison and contrast.
#5 Reading Responses must be turned in within the first five minutes of class in TRIPLICATE (3 copies). Because our meetings are only 50 minutes long, you get a ZERO for any reading note turned in later than the first five minutes of class. They can never be turned in at a later date. You will earn at most TWO points if you turn in only two copies and at most ONE point if you turn in only one copy. Reading Responses will be circulated in class to learn how other students are reacting to the texts.
#6 You must be in attendance for any class in which you turn in Reading Responses (someone else may not turn them in for you). You may not leave class early on a day in which you turn in Reading Responses.
#7 Reading Responses will be graded on a three-point scale and constitute 45% of your grade. If you get less than a “3” for any Reading Note, you may do additional Reading Responses; the fifteen highest Reading Responses will be counted for your final grade.
Research Paper: You will write a research paper for the course, 6-8 pages in length. This is due on Friday, March 8, at the beginning of class. The purpose of the research paper is to give you an opportunity to use the course concepts, materials, and discussions to be creative and end up with a paper that you can use as a writing sample and example of your own independent thinking when you apply for a job, internship, or graduate/professional school. You may choose any topic you wish so long as the instructor approves the outline for the paper (see below). You must use at least three course readings (we will discuss how to cite course readings effectively in class), and at least three peer-reviewed library sources. Internet and other informal sources are allowed as additional sources beyond these six required sources.
Paper outline: You are required to hand in an outline on Friday, February 22, at the beginning of class. The paper outline must be two pages long and contain the following information:
1) The nation or nations you will be examining;
2) Your thesis and supporting analytical points for the paper (VERY important);
3) The three or more course readings you will use to support your argument;
4) The three or more peer-reviewed library sources you will use to support your argument;
5) Any additional sources you will use to support your argument.
Course final. There will be a comprehensive take-home final, due Friday, May 3 at 5pm, in the instructor’s office. Details concerning the format of the course final will be explained later during the course.
SUMMARY OF COURSE REQUIREMENTS
15 Reading Responses
Research Paper Outline (due on Friday, February 22)
Research Paper (due on Friday, March 8)
Course Final (due on Friday, May 3)
15 Reading Responses x 3 points per note = 45 points (45% of course grade)
Research Paper Outline = 5 points (5% of course grade)
Research Paper = 25 points (25% of course grade)
Course final = 25 points (25% of course grade)
READINGS
There are six required books for the course. They are available at the bookstore, and are also on reserve at the library. The books are:
Dowsett, G. Practicing Desire: Homosexual Sex in the Era of AIDS.
Farmer, P. AIDS and Accusation: Haiti and the Geography of Blame.
Lyttleton, C. Endangered Relations: Negotiating Sex and AIDS in Thailand.
Renaud, M. Women at the Crossroads: A Prostitute Community's Response to AIDS in Urban Senegal.
Setel, P. A Plague of Paradoxes: AIDS, Culture, and Demography in Northern Tanzania.
Treichler, P. How to Have Theory in an Epidemic: Cultural Chronicles of AIDS.
There are also a series of readings for the course which can be accessed in the reserve room.
SCHEDULE OF COURSE MEETINGS
NOTE: You need to complete the required readings before the day listed. For instance, before Monday, January 14, you must read the Geertz and Scheper-Hughes readings and bring a Reading Response to class that addresses both.
week 1 — how does an anthropologist study HIV/AIDS?
Wednesday 1/9 — Introduction to the course
Friday 1/11— Introduction to the course
HIV/AIDS basics, part 1 (lecture)
week 2 — disease and culture
Monday 1/14 READING RESPONSE REQUIRED TODAY
HIV/AIDS basics, part 2 (lecture)
. Geertz, C. “The Impact of the Concept of Culture on the Concept of Man.” In his The
Interpretation of Cultures. New York: Basic Books, 1973.
. Scheper-Hughes, N., and M. Lock. “The Mindful Body: A Prolegomenon to Future Work in
Medical Anthropology.” In Medical Anthropology Quarterly 1(1):6-41, 1987.
Wednesday 1/16 READING RESPONSE REQUIRED TODAY
. Bolton, R. “Rethinking Anthropology: the Study of AIDS.” In Culture and Sexual Risk. H. ten
Brummelhuis and G. Herdt, eds. Amsterdam: Gordon & Breach, 1995.
. Treichler, Chapter 5 (“AIDS, HIV, and the Cultural Construction of Reality”)
Friday 1/18 — DISCUSSION
week 3 — identity and behavior
Monday 1/21 — NO CLASS (Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday)
Wednesday 1/23
. Herdt, G. “Semen Transactions in Sambia Culture.” In his edited Ritualized Homosexuality in
Melanesia, pp. 167-210. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1984.
. Elliston, D. “Erotic Anthropology: ‘Ritualized Homosexuality’ in Melanesia and
Beyond.” In American Ethnologist 22(4):848-867, 1995.
Friday 1/25
. Green, G., and E. Sobo. “Dangerous Identities: Stigmas and Stories.” In their The
Endangered Self: Managing the Social Risk of HIV, pp. 10-30. London: Routledge, 2000.
. Clatts, M. “Disembodied Acts: on the Perverse Use of Sexual Categories in the Study of
High-risk Behavior.” In Culture and Sexual Risk. H. ten Brummelhuis and G. Herdt, eds. Amsterdam: Gordon & Breach, 1995.
week 4 — sex/gender, part 1
Monday 1/28
. Lyttleton, Preamble, Introduction, and Chapter 1 (skim Chapter 2)
. Treichler, Chapter 8 (“Beyond Cosmo: AIDS, Identity, and Inscriptions of Gender”)
Wednesday 1/30
. Rubin, G. “Thinking Sex: Notes for a Radical Theory of the Politics of Sexuality.” In The Lesbian
and Gay Studies Reader, pp. 3-44. H. Abelove, M. Barale, and D. Halperin, eds. New York:
Routledge, 1993.
. Lyttleton, Chapters 3 and 4
Friday 2/1 — DISCUSSION
week 5 — sex/gender, part 2
Monday 2/4
. Singer, L. “Sex and the Logic of Late Capitalism.” In her Erotic Welfare: Sexual Theory and
Politics in the Age of Epidemic, pp. 34-61. New York: Routledge, 1993.
. Renaud, Introduction and Chapter 1
Wednesday 2/6
. Lyttleton, Chapters 5 and 6 (skim Afterword)
. Renaud, Chapter 2
Friday 2/8 — DISCUSSION
week 6 — ethnicity/race, part 1
Monday 2/11
. Renaud, Chapters 3 and 4 (skim Chapter 5)
. Treichler, Chapter 3 (“AIDS and HIV Infection in the Third World: A First World Chronicle”)
Wednesday 2/13
. Hall, Stuart. “Ethnicity: Identity and Difference.” In Radical America 23(4):9-22, 1991.
. Renaud, Chapters 6 and 7
Friday 2/15 — DISCUSSION
week 7 — ethnicity/race, part 2
Monday 2/18
. Rose, N. “Community, Citizenship, and the Third Way.” In American Behavioral Scientist
43(9):1395-1411, 2000.
. Farmer, Preface (including Introduction) and Part I
Wednesday 2/20
. Gilroy, P. “Nationalism, History, and Ethnic Absolutism.” In his Small Acts: Thoughts on the
Politics of Black Cultures, pp 63-74. London: Serpent’s Tail, 1993.
. Farmer, Part II
Friday 2/22 — RESEARCH PAPER OUTLINE DUE AT BEGINNING OF CLASS
DISCUSSION
week 8 — political economy
Monday 2/25
. Singer, M. “Forging a Political Economy of AIDS.” In his edited The Political Economy of
AIDS, pp. 3-31. New York: Baywood Publishing, 1998.
. Farmer, Part III
Wednesday 2/27
. Hall, S. “Gramsci and Us.” In his The Hard Road to Renewal: Thatcherism and the Crisis of the
Left, pp. 161-173. London: Verso, 1988.
. Farmer, Part IV
Friday 3/1 — DISCUSSION
week 9 — risk and stigma
Monday 3/4
. Green, G., and E. Sobo. “The Landscape of Risk: Danger, Identity, and HIV.” in their The
Endangered Self: Managing the Social Risk of HIV, pp. 31-44. London: Routledge, 2000.
. Farmer, Part V
Wednesday 3/6
. Rhodes, T. “Risk Theory in Epidemic Times: Sex, Drugs, and the Social Organisation of ‘Risk
Behaviour’.” In Sociology of Health and Illness 19(2):208-227, 1997.
. Dowsett, Chapters 1 and 2 (skim Chapter 3)
Friday 3/8aaa RESEARCH PAPER DUE AT BEGINNING OF CLASSaaa
DISCUSSION
week 10 — self and community
Monday 3/18
. Collier, J., B. Maurer, and L. Suárez-Navaz. “Sanctioned Identities: Legal Constructions
of Modern Personhood.” In Identities Vol. 2(1-2), pp. 1-27, 1995.
. Dowsett, Chapters 4 and 5
Wednesday 3/20
. Dowsett, Chapters 6 and 8 (skim Chapter 7)
. Treichler, Chapter 1 (“AIDS, Homophobia, and Biomedical Discourse: An Epidemic of
Signification”)
Friday 3/22 — DISCUSSION
week 11 — addiction and treatment
Monday 3/25
. Carlson, R. et al. “Ethnography, Epidemiology, and Public Policy: Needle-Use Practices and HIV-
1 Risk Reduction among Injecting Drug Users in the Midwest.” In Global AIDS Policy, pp. 185-214. Westport, CT: Bergin & Garvey, 1994.
. Fernando, M. “The Myth of Needle Sharing.” In his AIDS and Intravenous Drug Use, pp. 75-
106.Westport, CT: Praeger, 1993.
Wednesday 3/27
. Biehl, João. “Vita: Life in a Zone of Social Abandonment.” In Social Text 19(3):131-149, 2001.
. Farmer, P. et al. “Community-based Approaches to HIV Treatment in Resource-Poor Settings.” In
The Lancet 358:404-409, 2001.
Friday 3/29 — DISCUSSION
week 12 — globalization and rights, part 1
Monday 4/1
. Martin, E. “The End of the Body?” In American Ethnologist 19(1):121-140, 1992.
. Setel, Chapters 1 and 2 (skim Chapter 3)
Wednesday 4/3
. Reid, E. “Population and Development Issues: The Linkages to HIV and Women.” In Cairo and
Beijing: Defining the Women and AIDS Agenda, pp. 27-39. New York: USAID, 1996.
. Setel, Chapter 4
Friday 4/5 — DISCUSSION
week 13 — globalization and rights, part 2
Monday 4/8
. Hannerz, U. “Notes on the Global Ecumene.” In The Anthropology of Globalization: A Reader, pp.
37-45. J. Inda and R. Rosaldo, eds. Oxford: Blackwell, 2002.
. Setel, Chapters 5 and 6
Wednesday 4/10
. Musheno, M. “Legal Consciousness on the Margins of Society: Struggles Against
Stigmatization in the AIDS Crisis.” In Identities Vol. 2(1-2), pp. 101-122, 1995.
. Setel, Chapter 7
Friday 4/12 — DISCUSSION
week 14 — war and belonging
Monday 4/15
Readings to be announced
Wednesday 4/17
Readings to be announced
Friday 4/19 — DISCUSSION
week 15 — conclusions
Monday 4/22 — DISCUSSION
Wednesday 4/24 — DISCUSSION
TAKE-HOME FINAL DUE FRIDAY, MAY 3, 5PM, IN THE INSTRUCTOR’S OFFICE