Course Description:  This “parallel” course is offered on the basis of a collaboration among the University of Botswana, Pitzer College, and Harvey Mudd College.  It is supported through funding from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and administered through the office of International and Special Programs at Pitzer College.  This course focuses on the HIV/AIDS pandemic in the African Diaspora, with specific attention to the manifestation of the disease (and related STDs) in Botswana and Black America.  The course offers a multi-disciplinary exploration of the context of the disease and focuses on developing potential preventative measures to reduce and eventually eliminate its deadly effects.  Students gain expertise in web-page design, the use of the Internet, and a variety of technological tools (principally digital audio and visual media).  The course is taught by Professor Halford Fairchild in collaboration with Professor Sheila Tlou at the University of Botswana, and is based on a proposal written by Professor Fairchild in Spring, 2001.  A copy of the grant proposal is online: GRANT PROPOSAL (CLICK!)

Texts:  One or more texts may be selected, but because of the multi-disciplinary nature of the course readings, it is expected that most of the course readings will be made available online.  Wherever possible, existing web pages will be referenced for the readings.  Where such pages do not exist, readings are to be scanned and posted on the web.

Requirements:  The course requires an exploration of a diverse set of readings that provide a historical, cultural, political/economic, and behavioral understanding of HIV/AIDS and other STDs.  In addition to the text(s), students are expected to read online bibliographic sources (as linked herein), to “partner” with a student in another country (the two countries involved are the U.S. and Botswana), to actualize this partnership in regular e-mail exchanges and web-based bulletin board postings, to research and observe a community based health care agency involved in HIV/AIDS, and to write a detailed proposal that is geared toward the treatment and prevention of HIV/AIDS (and other STDs) in Botswana and Black America.  Such proposals are required to explicitly consider cultural, economic, international, and ethical implications.  Students must create a web-page, linked to the course web-site, that chronicles their achievements.  Students must take weekly online quizzes to demonstrate their comprehension of the reading and lecture materials.  Students will find the Time Magazine Resource Center (http://www.time.com/time/2001/aidsinafrica/resource.html) of special benefit, and should explore it completely.  Similarly, the CDC (Centers for Disease Control) website provides a rich source of information relevant to HIV/AIDS.  Click the CDC logo and explore their site.  Students should incorporate relevant readings from the CDC site that they select to elaborate their readings and understanding of the course material.

Another site with excellent information is the African American AIDS Policy and Training Institute.  This site should also be used as a general resource for information.

Evaluation:  Students are evaluated by examining the quantity and quality of exchanges with their partners, by their written assignments (with emphasis on the final proposal for treatment and prevention stratagems), and by weekly online quizzes.

Students are provided with an introduction to the purpose of the course, its requirements, and the technical expertise required.  Students are taught the use of e-mail (which is presumed for the majority), web-page design, the use of web-based bulletin boards and search engines.  These technical skills are reinforced throughout the duration of the course.  Students identify a foreign “partner” with whom they will collaborate throughout the course.
Readings:  AIDS may be the most serious health threat in recorded history
Time Magazine Special on AIDS in Africa.  Introduction.   Photos (http://www.time.com/time/2001/aidsinafrica/photo.html).
Interactive Map:  A continent in peril (http://www.time.com/time/2001/aidsinafrica/map_flash.html)
Death Stalks a Continent (http://www.time.com/time/2001/aidsinafrica/cover.html)
A Fighter in the Land of Orphans (http://www.time.com/time/2001/aidsinafrica/fighter.html)
Not Afraid to Speak Out (http://www.time.com/time/2001/aidsinafrica/afraid.html)
A Lending Tree (http://www.time.com/time/2001/aidsinafrica/tree.html)
Paying for AIDS Cocktails (http://www.time.com/time/2001/aidsinafrica/drugs.html)

Writing Assignment 1:  Write a 2-4 page paper that provides a "Statement of the Problem" relevant to the HIV/AIDS crisis in Africa.

This week provides a brief history to pre-colonial, colonial, and post-colonial Botswana.  The approach is historical, political, cultural, and economic.

Readings:  A brief history of Botswana (http://www.lonelyplanet.lycos.com/africa/botswana/history.html) (click!), Culture Snapshot (http://www.lonelyplanet.lycos.com/africa/botswana/culture.html);
Slavery in Africa, by Patrick Manning (http://www.africana.com/Articles/tt_145.htm)
Slavery in Africa, Today (http://www.africana.com/DailyArticles/index_19990802.htm)
Botswana: Before and after colonialism (http://www.africana.com/Articles/tt_396.htm)
Okavango Delta Peoples of Botswana (http://www.mindspring.com/~johnbock/)

Writing Assignment:  The African historical context is presented as a backdrop to contemporary issues confronting the continent.  How does this history enhance our understanding of contemporary health issues in Africa?

This week provides a brief history to Black American history.  A sampling of key readings of this vast field include enslavement, from slavery to freedom, from Jim Crow to Civil Rights, and contemporary issues.

Readings:  Slavery in the United States, by Peter Kolchin (http://www.africana.com/Articles/tt_269.htm)
Resistance:  How did African Americans resist slavery? (http://www.africana.com/Facts/bl_fact_52.htm)
Slave Rebellions in the United States (http://www.africana.com/Articles/tt_268.htm)
Emancipation Proclamation and the 13th Amendment, by Robert Fay (http://www.africana.com/Articles/tt_328.htm),
Civil Rights Movement by Patricia Sullivan (http://www.africana.com/Articles/tt_199.htm).

Writing Assignment:  If the "past is prologue," how does the history of enslavement, resistance, and struggle inform what we might expect for the future of Black America?  What are the health implications?

Both Botswana and Black America enjoy rich cultural traditions.  These are reviewed as they chronicle the informal story of these peoples.
Readings:
The Okavongo Delta People of Botswana (http://www.mindspring.com/~johnbock/)
Dance in Sub-Saharan Africa (http://www.africana.com/Articles/tt_134.htm)
The Harlem Renaissance and Cultural Production (http://www.africana.com/Articles/tt_387.htm)
The Black American Generation Gap (http://www.africana.com/DailyArticles/index_20010627.htm)

Writing Assignment:  How does culture influence health in Botswana?  In Black America?  How might cultural themes be important in the battle against HIV/AIDS?

This section of the course provides an introduction to the history and current crises surrounding HIV/AIDS.
Readings:  HIV/AIDS: A call to action, by Halford H. Fairchild
AIDS: The Agony of Africa (8 parts:  Part 1: The Virus Creates a Generation of Orphans; Part 2: A Tale of Two Brothers; Part 4: The Virus, Past and Future; Part 6: Ending the Epidemic
A Bomb Is Ticking in the Black Community, By Herb Boyd (http://www.tbwt.com/views/hboyd/hboyd_april6.asp)

Writing Assignment:  Describe the scope of the problem relevant to HIV/AIDS.  Include references to other life threatening illnesses and diseases where appropriate.

This section reviews the prevalence of AIDS throughout the world, with an emphasis on Black America and Botswana.
Readings:  AIDS in Botswana (http://www.info.bw/~aidstd.unit/newsf.htm),
AIDS in Southern Africa (http://www.africana.com/DailyArticles/index_20000725.htm)
AIDS in Africa:  An Interpretation, by Brooke Grundfest Schoepf (http://www.africana.com/Articles/tt_139.htm)
AIDS in Black America (http://www.africana.com/Articles/tt_221.htm)
AIDS in Latin America and the Caribbean (http://www.africana.com/Articles/tt_690.htm)
AIDS at 20:  The Genesis of an Epidemic: Humans, Chimps and a Virus, NY Times Sept. 4, 2001

Writing Assignment:  How is HIV/AIDS manifested around the world. What patterns emerge from the areas of greatest HIV infection?  What factors might account for these patterns?

This section reviews what we know about the behavioral transmission of HIV/AIDS and other STDs, including medical hygiene, intravenous drug use, and sexuality.
Readings:  National HIV Testing Day Targets African Americans,
by Gale Greenlee (http://www.africana.com/DailyArticles/index_20000627.htm)
New Wisdom Transforms the Oldest Profession (http://www.africana.com/DailyArticles/index_20010305.htm)

Writing Assignment:  How is HIV/AIDS behaviorally transmitted?  Are different groups affected in different ways by the means of infection?  What accounts for these differences?
 
 

This section reviews the role of gender in health, with an emphasis on HIV/AIDS and other STDs.  This week is devoted to gender issues in the U.S. and Botswana
Readings: The Struggle For Women’s Equality In Black America, by By Ron Daniels (http://www.tbwt.com/ views/rd/rd_04-05-00.asp)
Gupta, C.R., & Tlou, S.D.  (undated).  HIV/AIDS in Africa:  A youth and gender perspective.  Unpublished Manuscript.
Tlou, S.D.  (March 2001).  Women, the girl child and human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS).  Paper presented to the Commission on the Status of Women, New York.

Norr, K., Tlou, S., & Norr, J.  (1993).  The threat of AIDS for women in developing contries.  Pp. 263-285 in F. Cohen and J. Durham (eds)., Women, children and AIDS.  NY:  Springer Publishing Company
Sexual double standards victimize women (http://www.tbwt.com/ipsnews/ips194.asp)
Move to redefine gender relations (http://www.tbwt.com/archives/19990317/21/comtex-0039402i921724094.html)
BOTSWANA: MISS UNIVERSE INSPIRES MIXTURE OF PRIDE AND SCORN
     July 07, 1999 (http://www.tbwt.com/archives/1999/07/07/ip/0000-139649-KEYWORD.Missing.html)
AIDS: The Agony of Africa (Part 5: Death and the Second Sex)
Ingstad, Benedicte, Bruun, F.J., & Tlou, S.  (1997).  AIDS and the elderly Tswana:  The concept of pollution and consequences for AIDS prevention.  Journal of Cross Cultural Gerontology, 12, 357-372.

Writing Assignment:  Discuss how special populations are affected by HIV/AIDS in Botswana and throughout the African Diaspora.  What do these different infection rates suggest for prevention and treatment?

This section reviews current pharmacological and hospice treatments of HIV/AIDS within the Western medical model.
Readings:   (General) Treatment guidelines (http://www.hivatis.org/trtgdlns.html)
DELLUMS' NEW DILEMMA: AVERTING AFRICAN DISASTER (http://www.tbwt.com/newsline/19990303/14/comtex-00412kGq920490637.html)
THE CURRENT STATE OF HEALTH CARE IN AFRICA (http://www.africana.com/Articles/tt_682.htm)

Writing Assignment:  What is the past and present state-of-the art of Western approaches to HIV/AIDS treatment?
 
 

This section reviews current pharmacological and hospice treatments of HIV/AIDS within traditional medical models, including folk remedies.
Readings:  click!  Traditional Healing Approaches From Bleeding to Healing: Stopping the HIV/AIDS Pandemic BY Mary Elizabeth Hargrow, Ph.D.
AIDS: The Agony of Africa, Part 3:  Africa Responds (http://www.africana.com/Column/aids_04.htm)
AIDS: The Agony of Africa,  Part 8:  Use What You Have.
Herbal Cure for AIDS Sought (http://www.tbwt.com/views/specialrpt/special%20report-1_4-13-00.asp)
AIDS Congress Calls For Recognition of Traditional Healers (http://www.tbwt.com/archives/19990313/12/comtex-00394OQc921345463.html)
Dorland, D.C.C.  (2001).  The revelation of AIDS in Botswana:  'Bonamodi' (and what the pandemic will teach us all).  Gabarone, Botswana: Final project paper for the Pitzer in Botswana Program.

Writing Assignment:  Describe non-Western approaches to HIV/AIDS treatment.  What challenges do these treatment regimens face?  What is their success?

This section reviews current strategies, worldwide, for preventing HIV/AIDS among HIV positive individuals.
Readings:  Global Prevention Strategies (http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/pubs/facts/intrnatl.htm)
World Health Organization on AIDS in Africa (http://www.tbwt.com/archives/19990317/21/comtex-0039402i921724094.html)
Youth concerned about the impact of AIDS (Botswana): (http://www.tbwt.com/archives/19990218/20/comtex-02407JDC919388439.html)
AIDS: The Agony of Africa - Part 6: Ending the Epidemic (http://www.africana.com/Column/aids_07.htm)
Africa AIDS Conference Ends with Broad Consensus, By Gumisai Mutume (http://www.tbwt.com/ipsnews/ips1821.asp)
Black Leaders Strategize on AIDS (http://www.tbwt.com/content/print.asp?articleid=906)

Writing Assignment:  What are traditional and non-traditional means of preventing HIV infection, and what are their success?  What unique strategies apply to the African Diaspora?  What approaches are more applicable in some cultural contexts than others?
 
 

This section reviews the literature on primary prevention of HIV/AIDS.
Readings:
Norr, K., McElmurry, B., & Tlou, S.  (1997).  Women & HIV/AIDS Prevention:  A Global Approach.  Chicao, IL:  WHO Collaborating Centre for International Nursing Development in Health Care.
Combatting Complacency in AIDS Prevention (http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/pubs/facts/combat.htm)
Activism:  The Agony of AIDS:   Part 7:  South Africa Acts Up;
Economic issues in Africa (http://www.africana.com/DailyArticles/index_20000514.htm)
Virginity Newly Prized in Age of AIDS, by Natalie Bell (http://www.africana.com/DailyArticles/index_20000731.htm)
Prevention Messages to Young People (http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/pubs/facts/compyout.htm)
African American Churches Take Action to Address AIDS from The Pulpit ()
Female Condom  in ...Africa(http://www.tbwt.com/news/2000/07/10/Ascribe/harvest_Ascribe9632560668669188.asp)

Writing Assignment:  How might we prevent HIV infection?  Pick a cultural context (Botswana or the Americas), and develop a concrete plan.
 
 

This section focuses on the fine points of a health proposal.  Although much of this material is introduced in the first and subsequent weeks of the course, students here acquire a more sophisticated understanding of the proposal process.  Students should merge their previous papers into a coherent essay on HIV/AIDS, related health concerns, and offer feasible ideas for promoting health in Botswana and the U.S.
 
 

This section focuses on students sharing what they have learned with each other, and evaluating the process and outcomes of the course.