Sociology of HIV/AIDS: A Service-Learning Course in Partnership with West Alabama AIDS Outreach (WAAO)
When research revealed a knowledge gap in West Alabama, Dr. Bronwen Lichtenstein and her students partnered with West Alabama AIDS Outreach (WAAO) to initiate a service-learning project. The students developed and carried out various educational efforts, including informational booths on campus and arranging for speakers on the topic in numerous settings from barber shops to schools and churches. They also conducted community drives to gather and deliver gift baskets, supplies and other items needed by WAAO clients. Surveys were conducted on community attitudes toward HIV/AIDS. The research/publications potential of this project was demonstrated when course innovations were presented in a paper entitled “One Class at a Time: Transforming the Student Body through HIV Community Work in the Deep South” at the American Sociological Association. The paper was subsequently published in a recent issue of the Journal of Enhanced Learning in the Social Sciences.
On April 23, 2010, Dr. Lichtenstein was honored with the Outstanding Faculty/Staff-Initiated Engagement Effort Award, presented to her by UA’s Center for Community-Based Partnerships.
Vice President for Community Affairs Dr. Samory T. Pruitt, Vice President for Research Dr. Joe Benson, Executive Vice President and Provost Dr. Judy Bonner, and Dr. Bronwen Lichtenstein
Dr. Bronwen Lichtenstein and Criminal Justice chair Dr. Ida Johnson