SEMS 290 HIV/AIDS in the World - Semester at Sea Website
Subject: Health Sciences
Professor C. Kevin Malotte - (Syllabus)
The HIV/AIDS pandemic affects every country in the world. Some parts of the world, such as sub-Saharan Africa, have been so drastically afflicted that overall life expectancy has decreased. Other nations have been less affected, although the potential for explosive growth of the disease in countries such as India and China is alarming. Responses to the disease have also varied by country. This course explores the epidemiology of HIV/AIDS, including factors related to HIV transmission. It covers the impact of the epidemic on the countries most affected, and highlights national, regional, and global responses to the epidemic including prevention and treatment approaches. We will discuss some of the controversies surrounding this disease. Following the ports of our voyage, we will compare HIV/AIDS in Brazil, South Africa, India, Vietnam, China, and the United States. NOTE: Before arriving at the ship, students enrolled in the course must download, print, and begin to review the 2006 Report on the Global AIDS Epidemic at http://www.unaids.org/en/HIV_data/2006GlobalReport/default.asp (students unable to do so may purchase a printout of this online report through the UVa bookstore before sailing). Methods of evaluation include three exams (50%), a journal that integrates course material with in-port observations (20%), a paper comparing the epidemic and the national response of two of the countries listed above (20%), and class participation (10%).