This is an intensive writing course that uses an ethnographic and legal approach to the study of the AIDS epidemic and its implications for criminal justice. The first part of the course is a general introduction to institutional, scientific, and symbolic dimensions of the epidemic. The second and third parts shifts into ethnographic research and intervention focusing on illegal behaviors and HIV transmission risks associated with sex and drug use. With this background, the course focuses on issues most directly related to criminal justice policies and institutions, including the criminalization of sexual transmission and the correctional management of people with AIDS (PWAs). The course emphasizes creative development of independent research projects both inside and outside the classroom. A variety of pedagogical methods will be used, including films, guest speakers, and small-group discussions.