Oh Wow, the End of the Term...

Ever since I was a freshman, I wanted to take AIDS and STI's, so I was pretty excited when I signed up for it this term (I'm a nerd, I know!). I didn't really have a whole lot of expectations for the class: I figured we would learn about AIDS and STI's in both biological terms and in terms of human experience and society. I didn't think too much about the history of AIDS and STI's, but I did think we would cover risky behaviors and the ways social institutions impact AIDS and STI's.
All of these things were covered, and though I knew some of it, there were many details that I was not aware of. It was also great learning about things like the Tuskegee Syphilis Study and the Tearoom Trade Study. These were events that I had heard of, but knew nothing about. It is so much easier to understand the world today when we are able to examine the past.
I thought the most useful thing we learned about was the risk behaviors and prevelance of AIDS and STI's. Everyone knows about AIDS and STI's, and I think most people, at least in this country, are aware of what risky behaviors are. However, we got into a level of detail that was very good to know. Raising awareness and educating people is, I think, the first step in preventing the spread of AIDS and STI's. I think this class in general usually sends its students into a state of paranoia, but in this case, being paranoid is a good thing. I know that may not be the intention, but if it makes people stop and think before they get down and dirty, well then it's okay to cause paranoia!
I can't really think of anything that I would call the least useful or un-useful in my eyes. All of it was interesting, and all of it was information that I thought was important for us to know. I also wouldn't really change anything for next time. I like the blogs and the bi-weekly quizzes. The information and tests were straightforward and logical. As much as I hate the thought of group projects, I really enjoyed the one in this class.
I think this is a class that definitely must be taught at the university level. This is the time when kids are out on their own (sort of, no mommy and daddy around), meeting complete strangers, and learning about the effects of alcohol. This is a time in our lives when getting into trouble isn't hard to do. Though I think safe sex education should be taught starting much earlier, continuing it into college is a great thing to do. It is a reminder that we only have this one body, and that so much could happen to it that we can prevent. Even "smart" and educated people make poor choices, but I think that is less likely to happen if they have been reminded of why they shouldn't.
Thanks for such a fabulous class! I really enjoyed it!