UNITED IN ANGER: A HISTORY OF ACT UP STUDY GUIDE

UNIT 4: PROJECTS AND EXERCISES

Individual/Group Project #1: Researching AZT: Reliable Sources
For this project you will read about AZT in several different sources, then compare your findings.

–First, search for “AZT” on Wikipedia and read the complete entry.

–Next, read the entry for AZT at thebody.com.

–Then, locate two more online sources that introduce you to AZT.

What are the major differences in the sources you identified?  Do you notice any outright disagreements among them about AZT?  Are there more subtle differences?  Which sources seem most and least reliable to you?

Individual/Group Project #2: The ACT UP Treatment and Data Committee
Several ACT UP members interviewed in United in Anger were part of the Treatment and Data Committee.  These people sometimes had scientific backgrounds, but others educated themselves after joining ACT UP.

For this project, view the complete videos and/or read the complete oral history transcripts of two of the following ACT UP members: Iris Long and David Kirschenbaum (the two founders the committee), Jim Eigo (one of T&D’s central figures) and Dudley Saunders.  As you read, write down your initial thoughts.  What strikes you most about these interviews?  Then compare and contrast the two interviewees’ recollections of community-based interventions into the science of AIDS.  What questions do they raise for you?

Iris Long (text)
David Kirschenbaum (text)
Jim Eigo (text)
Dudley Saunders (text)

Now join a peer group to discuss your reactions to the transcripts of these ACT UP scientists.