As this semester comes to an end, I cannot believe all that I have accomplished in this class. Not just talking about the excessive amount of work, but all that I have learned. Thinking back, I wonder if I would have taken this class if I knew of the work load. This would have been a great class to take if I had a lighter load of classes, or even if some of the classes I were taking were electives. Since this was my one elective course, I do not know if I would have taken this again. Do not get me wrong, it is VERY informative and I learned a lot, but I found myself struggling repeatedly throughout the week to get everything done for this class, let alone my other 5 classes.
I think out of all the QOTW questions we have had this one was the hardest for me to answer. According to the book AIDS: The Biological Basis, "Without an animal model, researchers cannot predict whether an experimental vaccine might work on humans" (Weeks, 2010). I am not saying that I think Chimps deserve to die to help humans live, but I would rather have a cure to help the human race then to jeopardize the life of a human to find out more about HIV.
I think the hardest thing I've had to do this semester is the M&M simulation. Trying to take all these drugs in one day, remembering which ones to take at what time and if you have to take it with food is almost impossible. My first day I failed horribly. First off, I rarely eat 3 meals, and if I do its not morning, afternoon, and night. So trying to take certain drugs on an empty stomach, some right before I eat, and some with food was my biggest challenge. I did not have time to worry what people were thinking, because I was trying so hard to remember to take them period.
Weeks, Benjamin S., Alcamo, Edward I. (2010). AIDS: The Biological Basis (Fifth Edition). Sudbury, Massachusetts: Jones and Bartlett Publishers.
Did you Know
The URL , is of U.S. President Barack Obama making a speech of his signing into law an extension of the Ryan White CARE Act, "which provides critical funding to HIV/AIDS service organizations throughout the United States" (). In this speech, Obama addressed the current state of HIV in the United States spoke candidly about the current state of HIV in the U.S., and also "announced that the last vestige of the U.S.'s 22-year-old ban on HIV-positive people entering the country was about to vanish" (). This should go into effect in January 2010. The ban was suppose to be a prevention method, but the question that arises is how do you know whether a person entering our country is really HIV positive?
AIDSinfonet.(2009)."Obama Announces Ryan White CARE Act Reauthorization, Elimination of HIV Travel Ban". The Body: The complete HIV/AIDS Guide. http://www.thebody.com/content/govt/art54235.html
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Great post! I understand that not letting HIV positive people into the US is supposed to be a prevention method, but look at how many people we already have in the US with HIV. It is up to us to take personal prevention measures. The law is not helping to decrease the number of HIV cases. I am glad that there has been an extension of the act, because this is truly needed if these organizations are going to make a difference in their communities.
ReplyDeleteI am right there with you, struggling to take these pills. I am so happy tomorrow is the last day!
Yes, this class might have a pretty large workload, but it is one of the first classes that I actually feel that I am getting a good education for the money that I am spending through UCF! Nice find with the extension of the Ryan White Act...I was actually wondering about that because we have just learned that the Act was going to run out soon. I am guessing that people have to get bloodwork when entering the country? Maybe it is just for people going through the naturalization process and not just visitors? Nonetheless it is great to see the government opening up and still supporting AIDS research and education.
ReplyDeleteYou would never have learned anything if is wasn't for the 'work' you did in the course, Jenna. Excessive, I don't really think so. Had I deleted any of it, you would have lost something.
ReplyDeleteI would never take five classes in any semester. You can't give them all your attention, even if the work load for all of them were medium in intensity. Trying to squeeze too many classes into a semester means something is lost. I never took more than four classes because I knew I want to learn everything i could in all my classes. To devote an equal amount of time to them all. You can't do that when you overload yourself.
I was definitely in the same boat with you this semester. I had a heavy work load with all my other classes and I found myself constantly struggling to keep up with all the assignments I had to complete for this class. I learned a lot as well but I think I could have taken away a great appreciation for each assignment if I had a greater amount of time to dedicate to projects and the overall subject matter of the course. I think our professors did a great job and I hope you're able to take away tons of knowledge like I did anyways :)
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