A study of how historical knowledge is produced and interpreted. Topics might include narrative and representation, the uses of evidence, forms of historical argumentation, and historical controversies in the public realm.

This course is a rhetorical history of the AIDS epidemic in North America, highlighting language and its social effects. From first namings (Gay Cancer, or Gay Related Immunodeficiency Syndrome, or G.R.I.D.S.) to contemporary language that treats AIDS as only existing in the past, we will examine the social meaning attached to AIDS/HIV (and disease in general) throughout the ongoing epidemic. Some texts we will examine are: "AIDS, Homophobia, and Biomedical Discourse," (1987) by Paula Treichler; AIDS and its Metaphors (1989), by Susan Sontag; The Boundaries of Blackness: AIDS and the Breakdown of Black Politics (1999), by Cathy Cohen; and We Are Having This Conversation Now: The Times of AIDS CUltural Production (2022) by Alexandra Juhasz and Theodore Kerr. In addition, we will also be examining primary sources from popular media, government, and film and television.

Repeat Rules

Course is not repeatable for credit.

Requirements class fulfills