| Abstract: | Abstract This paper provides a geographic approach to teaching about HIV and AIDS in a non-U.S. setting. A simulation is used to illustrate the path and means by which AIDS is diffusing across sub-Saharan Africa, the region most severely affected by this pandemic. A biological simulation to illustrate disease transmission has been adapted to give it a spatial dimension. Students occupy several countries on a hypothetical continent and migrate within and across political boundaries. They are given profiles based on the characteristics of those most at-risk in spreading the disease. An overview of the pandemic in sub-Saharan Africa is provided. The simulation can be used as a springboard for examining the global dimensions, diffusion patterns, and social and economic consequences of this pandemic. |
