OT - MSU offers zombie apocalypse survival class

Submitted by unWavering on

I have bad news, fellow MGobloggers.  When the zombie apocalypse inevitably occurs, there will now probably be a higher proportion of survivors that hail from MSU now that they are offering a zombie apocalypse survival class.

 

Starting May 14 -- the first session of the summer 2012 semester -- students enrolled in the seven-week course will learn how human behavior and nature change after catastrophic incidences -- from the historical to the hypothetical -- through a blend of traditional coursework, online forums and a catastrophic event simulation, which will be in the form of a theoretical zombie pandemic.
 

Part of me wants to crack a joke about academics, etc., and the other part of me really, really wants to take this class.  Is this a waste of time, or a clever plot for MSU to rule the post-apocalyptic world?  

gajensen

March 6th, 2012 at 11:18 AM ^

Considering a zombie invasion can be a very productive thought exercise. The CDC and other epidemiologists have used an outbreak as a model for the rapid spread of infectious diseases.

It's a neat idea, props to MSU. At the very least you can be assured that the students will be paying attention to the material.

Coastal Elite

March 6th, 2012 at 11:23 AM ^

Agreed completely. Colleges do stuff like this all the time - "Economics of the Harry Potter Universe," "Geology & the Mayan Apocalypse," etc. They can provide an intellectual laboratory uncontaminated with real-life complexity, while also allowing for a lot of creativity and excitement in the curriculum. Plus MSU has gotten some good press about it. Good for them.

Wolverine MD

March 6th, 2012 at 12:00 PM ^

Surprising At UC Berkley? Are you kidding? Most people who are obsessed with StarCraft are Asians (Enough to the point to take a class on it.). And Asians are well represented at Berkley. Logically follows that at least some people there would be obsessed with SC. 

(FWIW, I bought my last computer with SC2 recommended specifications in mind. Clearly, I should have gone to Berkley.)

WolvinLA2

March 6th, 2012 at 11:25 AM ^

I agree, I don't think this is stupid at all. I got my M degree in sociology (yeah yeah) and I can appreciate the value in this. It's hardly a zombie apocalypse survival course, and saying so is misleading. Often in social science, unrealistic hypotheticals are used to discuss behavior.

There are a lot of things we can rip Sparty for, but this isn't it.

manchild56

March 6th, 2012 at 11:18 AM ^

the Walking Dead but who in the hell would actually pay to learn about this? I mean college isn't cheap, and one other thing is well at least now MSU wont ever and I mean ever have an ineligable player again. I mean who couldn't pass this class really?

Profwoot

March 6th, 2012 at 11:20 AM ^

I read World War Z on a whim, and was surprised at how well it dealt with a lot of different sociological, epidemiological,  and political issues. If handled well, I think a zombie apocalypse class could be a fun way to get into a lot of important topics. I can say from much experience that making things fun is really important to get the kids to learn anything, even in college. And even at Michigan.

mikoyan

March 6th, 2012 at 11:22 AM ^

Disaster preparedness is a pretty good idea despite how it is being portrayed.  Probably some of the techniques that you would use to deal with a zombie apocolypse would be about the same as the techniques you would use to deal with a nasty disease outbreak.  Besides, this can't be any worse than a major in pop culture.

mikoyan

March 6th, 2012 at 11:23 AM ^

Disaster preparedness is a pretty good idea despite how it is being portrayed.  Probably some of the techniques that you would use to deal with a zombie apocolypse would be about the same as the techniques you would use to deal with a nasty disease outbreak.  Besides, this can't be any worse than a major in pop culture.

cozy200

March 6th, 2012 at 11:53 AM ^

Dale is to much of a pussy. The only who hasnt hardened up. Even Glenn grew a pair here and there. Not a fan of shane bringing the whole dynamic down really but these characters gotta snap back to reality at some point. Never read the comics anybody know how it ended?

M-Wolverine

March 6th, 2012 at 4:57 PM ^

The comic is still ongoing. Dale was VERY different.

(Old) Spoilers-

He ended up looking up with Andrea and being kinda a bad ass, though with one leg. Before much later meeting a cooler demise. Few last long in this world. Shane has already lasted longer than he did in the comic. Whether that lasts....

TampaBLUE

March 6th, 2012 at 2:25 PM ^

Totally agree on Lori/Carl but Shane is a great character. His actions are pretty believable. Now lori is just an idiot - her decisions suck and she may be the worst mother ever. Who lets their 10 year old out of their sight in a world full of zombies. Heck I don't let my kids out of site at the mall.

TampaBLUE

March 6th, 2012 at 3:00 PM ^

In this world I'd shoot him too but in that world he has some valid points if survival is the goal. I wouldn't want him covering my back alone but in a group fight I'd want him on my team. I'm guessing we're going to see one soon. Then back on the road for season 3.
Storyline true to the comics? May have to check it out. On kindle?

JHendo

March 6th, 2012 at 11:44 AM ^

I was getting more and more annoyed with him ever since he started flipping out at Shane.  I was pleasantly surprised at the end of the last episode.  As for Carl, I don't see it really happening, but wouldn't be terribly dissapointed if something unfortunate was to happen to him...

JHendo

March 6th, 2012 at 11:53 AM ^

I figured Carl's too much a part of the story to get rid of.  As for who goes next (disclaimer: I've never read the comics), they've been distancing T-Dog enough from the storylines that it looks like they're setting him up to go, and like many, I think this season is going to end with the demise of Hershel.  We shall see though...