Spring 2024
RHETOR 106 001 - LEC 001
Formerly 173
Rhetoric of Historical Discourse
Rhetorics of the North American AIDS epidemic: Rhetoric of Historical Discourse
Robert Theodore Barrett
Class #:31257
Units: 4
Instruction Mode:
In-Person Instruction
Offered through
Rhetoric
Current Enrollment
Total Open Seats:
10
Enrolled: 25
Waitlisted: 0
Capacity: 35
Waitlist Max: 10
No Reserved Seats
Hours & Workload
3 hours of instructor presentation of course materials per week, and 9 hours of outside work hours per week.
Final Exam
WED, MAY 8TH
11:30 am - 02:30 pm
Dwinelle 182
Other classes by Robert Theodore Barrett
Course Catalog Description
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.
Class Description
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.
Rules & Requirements
Repeat Rules
Course is not repeatable for credit.
Requirements class fulfills
Meets Historical Studies, L&S Breadth
Reserved Seats
Current Enrollment
No Reserved Seats
Textbooks & Materials
See class syllabus or https://calstudentstore.berkeley.edu/textbooks for the most current information.
Guide to Open, Free, & Affordable Course Materials
Associated Sections
None