HIV - an individual focus from a global perspective

Apply for Spring 2027 at universityadmissions.se

The course is aimed at those who have an interest in HIV, human rights, and global health. You will gain an updated approach to HIV from both a clinical, research-based, and global socio-biological perspective. The course analyzes both the individual's and society's role in HIV prevention and treatment and how it relates to knowledge, attitudes, stigma, sexuality, gender roles, violence, addiction/drugs, economy, and social situation. HIV will be discussed from various perspectives, starting from human rights, philosophy and morality, socioeconomics, as well as cultural and biological myths. The course also provides medical orientation with the latest news from HIV research, for example research on vaccines and cures.

We collaborate with the HIV organization Noaks Ark. The course's lectures/seminars are held at Posithiva Gruppen one evening per week.

Apply for HIV - an individual focus from a global perspective, 7.5 Credits

Documentation requirements

Applicants with foreign academic qualifications must follow the documentation requirements on universityadmissions.se.

Selection

Upper secondary school grades (34% of the seats), the Swedish Scholastic Aptitude Test – Högskoleprovet (34% of the seats), number of credits (1-165 credits, 32% of the seats) All credentials must have reached universityadmissions.se by the deadline for the supporting documentation. Read more at: Key dates and deadlines.

Fees

Application and tuition fees are required for applicants who do not have citizenship in the EU/EEA, or Switzerland. For further details see the page: Find out if you need to pay fees at universityadmissions.se.

Application

The application is submitted through universityadmissions.se. The application opens approximately one month before the application deadline.

Apply at universityadmissions.se

HIV - an individual focus from a global perspective

HIV - med individen i fokus ur ett globalt perspektiv

Essential data

Course code: 1QA147
Course name: HIV - an individual focus from a global perspective
Credits: 7.5
Form of Education: Higher education, study regulation of 2007
Main field of study: Public Health Sciences
Level: First cycle, has only upper-secondary level entry requirements
Grading scale: Fail (U) or pass (G)
Department: Department of Global Public Health
Decided by: Education Committee GPH
Decision date: 2024-12-06
Revised by: Utbildningsnämnden GPH
Last revised: 2026-01-20
Course syllabus valid from: Autumn semester 2025

Specific entry requirements

General requirements (with exemption from Swedish proficiency). Proficiency in English equivalent to the Swedish upper secondary school course English 6/English B.

Outcomes

On completion of the course, the student should:

  • be familiar with the HIV epidemic origin and history
  • understand the difference between HIV incidence and HIV prevalence and be able to apply the concepts correctly
  • know what the HIV epidemic looks in various parts of the world and be able to compare this with the HIV epidemic in Sweden
  • understand and be able to contextualise the relationship between sexuality and HIV, various types of risk behaviours and HIV, and options for HIV prevention
  • explain the role of addiction and migration in the HIV epidemic
  • be able to interpret the HIV epidemic from a global public health perspective
  • be familiar with the principles and the complexity behind the research on HIV vaccine
  • be familiar with the principles and the complexity of antiretroviral treatment of HIV/aids
  • be able to discuss basic moral-philosophical concepts, human rights and obligations that concern HIV
  • describe what everyday life can be like for people living with HIV

Content

The course should give a broad, thorough and informed approach to HIV, both at a personal and professional level. The course is a collaboration between the Department of Global Public Health (Global Health) at Karolinska Institutet and the HIV organisation Noah's Ark as well Posithiva Gruppen.

We analyse different themes related to HIV through lectures combined with discussion seminars. Themes: the history of HIV, basic medical facts relevant to the spread of HIV, the global epidemic, sexuality, sexual identity and gender aspects of HIV, risk behaviours, human rights and responsibilities from both a legal and ethical perspective, HIV prevention and treatment in Sweden and in low-income countries including treatment as prevention, pre-exposure prophylaxis, vaccine and cure research, quality of life and personal reflections on living with HIV.

Teaching methods

Lectures and seminars.

Examination

The examination is an individual written examination. The physical presence requirement may be adapted to current infection control recommendations.

All lectures with following discussion seminars are to be considered compulsory. The examiner assesses if, and in that case how, absence from compulsory educational elements can be compensated for. Before all the compulsory educational elements have been reached or compensated fo, the final course results will not be reported.

Limitation of number of occasions to write the examPotential number of possible examination occasions
Students who have not passed the regular examination are entitled to five more examination attempts . If a student has not passed the exam after four attempts, he/she is encouraged to visit the study advisor. If the student has failed six examinations/tests, no additional examination or new admission is provided.
The number of times that the student has participated in one and the same examination is regarded as an examination session. Submission of a blank examination is also regarded as an examination. An examination for which the student registered but did not participate in will not be counted as an examination.

If there are special grounds, or a need for adaptation for a student with a disability, the examiner may decide to deviate from the syllabus's regulations on the examination form, the number of examination opportunities, the possibility of supplementation or exemptions from the compulsory section/s of the course etc. Content and learning outcomes as well as the level of expected skills, knowledge and abilities may not be changed, removed or reduced.

Other directives

Language of instruction is English.

Literature and other teaching aids

Based on current information at each teaching session. The course covers areas that are difficult to access in regular course literature because the field is developing very quickly. The course aims to provide an overview and stimulate independent search for knowledge within each area of interest.

  • World aids day report 2024, UNAIDS, *

Therefore, there is no fixed course literature. We recommend UNAIDS reports on unaids.org, including the latest annual reports that can be downloaded for free, as well as Swedish statistics on folkhalsomyndigheten.se.

Contact

Anna Mia Ekström, anna.mia.ekstrom@ki.se
Carla Sturm, carla.sturm@ki.se