Fall Term 2002-3
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Meeting time/place: Wednesdays 1:30-3:20pm Robertson 010 |
Evan S. Lieberman 239 Corwin Hall Office hours: Tuesdays 2pm-4pm E-mail: ESL@Princeton.edu Telephone: 258-6833 |
Overview:
Approximately 40 million people are currently living with AIDS around the world, constituting a major global epidemic. Not surprisingly, the political ramifications of this disaster are powerful and complex. Governments, international organizations, NGO’s, medical associations, and various individuals around the world find themselves in ongoing debates over appropriate policies and responses. The impact has been extremely varied with enormous consequences for the health and well-being of humans around the world.
Our goal during the course of this workshop will be to try to understand some important dimensions of the politics of HIV/AIDS, and to learn to carry out systematic, analytical research using concrete data. Hopefully, we will find that these two goals are complementary.
Together, we will discuss a range of political issues surrounding the global AIDS epidemic, including conflicts around prevention and drug policies; discrimination and human rights; and international (non)cooperation. Reading various articles and papers, we will try to gain some background in the substantive area, and to get a sense of the types of research that people have carried out on the subject of HIV/AIDS, broadly defined. We will also meet to discuss how to narrow down research topics and to carry out that research using not just the internet, but the library as well.
Individually, you will be expected to develop specific research projects that investigate the causes and/or consequences of AIDS and/or AIDS-related policies. You may conduct research from a local, national, or international perspective. I encourage you to narrow down your paper topic early, and I expect you to meet with me individually to confirm your topic.
Grading: Your grade will be based exclusively on the quality of the final research paper. Presumably, that product will benefit from each step along the way. I will adhere to the standards set out in the grading guidelines which are posted on the department’s website.
Readings:
Required book for purchase:
Barnett, Tony, and Alan Whiteside. AIDS in the Twenty-First Century. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2002.
Optional book for purchase:
Kirp, David L., and Ronald Bayer. Aids in the Industrialized Democracies: Passions, Politics, and Policies. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 1992. (may be useful for students wishing to study one or more of the advanced countries.)
Other readings
A course packet is available at Pequot Copy. Other materials will be available via the internet.
Seminar Dates:
1. September 25:
Introduction, overview
Barnett and Whiteside, pp.3-62.
NY Times history on the web: http://www.nytimes.com/library/national/science/aids/aids-index.html
(read all of the retrospective articles)
World Bank. Confronting Aids: Public Priorities in a Global Epidemic. Rev. ed, A World Bank Policy Research Report. New York ; Oxford: Oxford University Press for the World Bank, 1999, chapter one. Available on-line at: http://www.worldbank.org/aids-econ/confront/confrontfull/
2. October 2: Library
meeting ***Meet just inside the lobby of Firestone Library at 1:30pm sharp.
Barnett and Whiteside, chapters 3 and 4
Explore “AIDS at 20” website: http://www.kff.org/docs/AIDSat20/
3. October 9:
Discussion I - The U.S.
Kirp and Bayer, introduction, chapter 1. (reader)
Cohen, Cathy J. The Boundaries of Blackness: Aids and the Breakdown of Black Politics. Chicago ; London: University of Chicago Press, 1999, chapter 5. (reader)
Pollock, Philip H. "Issues, Values, and Critical Moments: Did "Magic" Johnson Transform Public Opinion on Aids?" American Journal of Political Science 38, no. 2 (1994): 426-46. (available at www.jstor.org)
4. October 16:
Discussion II – International and Comparative Perspectives
Barnett and Whiteside, chapters 5, 12.
Kirp and Bayer, introduction, chapter 7. (reader)
Mann, Jonathan M., D. Tarantola, and Global AIDS Policy Coalition. Aids in the World II: Global Dimensions, Social Roots, and Responses. New York: Oxford University Press, 1996, pp.315-374.
Boone, Catherine, and Jake Batsell. "Politics and AIDS in Africa: Research Agendas in Political Science and International Relations." Africa Today 48 (2001). (available from EBSCO Host Academic Search Premier – via the Princeton University Library electronic database)
**On or before October 18: Send me a statement of your
research topic, question, and research plan via email.
5. October 23: Meet individually in 10-minute sessions to discuss the topic, question, and research plan.
6. November 13: Every student will make a 10-minute presentation of their research-to-date and plans for future research
7. November 27: Hand in drafts with outlines via email and in hard copy.
8. January 7: Hand in final junior papers to the department office.
October 18 Paper topics
November 26 Last day to send me research paper drafts. Send this paper to me electronically: esl@princeton.edu and in hard copy to my department mailbox.
January 7 Due date for junior paper. Submit to the politics department.
Frequently Asked
Questions:
1. Can I also submit this paper for another class?
-- NO
2. Can this paper be the basis for a senior thesis?
-- YES
3. Can I get an extension?
-- This is a bad idea, but it is not up to me. You will need to go to the dean for permission.
Length: approximately 7500 words +/- 1000 words (please put the word count on the cover page)
Font: Arial or Times Roman, 12-point
Spacing: Double, except for extended quotes – which should be used sparingly – single/indented
Margins: 1 inch all around
Page numbers: upper right corner
The elements of a good junior paper:
1. It asks a non-trivial question: (“Why was the American government response to the HIV/AIDS crisis so slow?”; “How did the AIDS crisis influence political solidarity among gay men?”)
- Substantively interesting and relevant
- There could be more than one plausible answer
2. It asks a questions that can be answered.
- It is possible to find evidence to support one or another answer, even given the time and resource constraints for research
3. It provides an answer to the question.
- Stated in clear terms. (“Because the political risks of a public response were perceived as being too high”; “It created solid bonds among gay activists, and sharp divisions between those who were activists and those who were not.”)
4. It provides documented evidence for why that answer is the correct one
- This does not mean that some evidence may point in a different direction. Good scholars present all of the evidence, but discuss why, on balance, they come to the conclusions that they do.
- Types of evidence: 1. statistics; 2. news articles; 3. other published works; 4. government/other documents; 5. interviews
5. It is well written
- Organized logically
- Prose is clear and concise
6. It is presented honestly
- Your ideas are original
- All source materials are documented and cited
- It complies with university regulations concerning academic integrity.