The Diverse Faces of AIDS: Prevention, Education, and Treatment

This course is designed to introduce students to one of the most critical and intriguing health issues in history-the AIDS epidemic. Students in this course will learn about the diverse range of individuals impacted by HIV and AIDS and will discover the range of prevention, education, treatment, and advocacy, services that are offered throughout the Chicago metropolitan area. As students interact with those who live with HIV / AIDS and those who provide AIDS-related services, they will experience the human face of AIDS and explore the complex nature of this epidemic with its range of social, psychological, political, religious, and legal dimensions. This course will cover the following aspects of the AIDS epidemic: history and epidemiology; transmission and disease progression; education and prevention; traditional medical and psychosocial treatment; spirituality and alternative medical treatment; housing and hospice care; policy and advocacy. The course is also designed to present a multicultural perspective on the AIDS epidemic, thus students will visit agencies, read literature, listen to speakers, and interact with individuals representing a range of ages, genders, ethnicities, sexual orientations, socioeconomic statuses, and serostatuses (HIV+/HIV-).