The Walking Dead is educational, at least if the world is ever taken over by zombies and you have to deal with fellow survivors in a post-apocalyptic world. The University of California, Irvine is taking the show’s educational merit to the next level, offering an online class devoted to the hit AMC show.
According to The Huffington Post, “Society, Science, Survival: Lessons from AMC’s The Walking Dead” will be offered on Infatructure’s MOOC platform. The UC Irvine professors teaching the class cover several disciplines. They are Zuzana Bic, public health; Joanne Christopherson, social sciences; Michael Dennin physics; and Sarah Eichhorn, mathematics.
“From understanding social identities to modeling the spread of disease, this eight-week course will span key science and survival themes using AMC’s The Walking Dead as its basis,” the class’ description reads. “Four faculty members from the University of California, Irvine will take you on an inter-disciplinary academic journey deep into the world of AMC’s The Walking Dead...”
Students will learn about the role of public health, how social orders develop, how to understand stereotypes and social identity and what you need to survive. The description notes that students should spend two to four weeks devoted to the course, “though we believe the course is compelling enough you’ll want to spend more time.”
“There is clearly a growing appetite for engagement with ,i>The Walking Dead, and we hope this online course will drive a deep, sustained connection with the show during its upcoming fourth season and offer a legitimate educational experience that can be applied even more broadly," Theresa Beyer, vice president of promotions and activation at AMC, said in a statement to the Huffington Post.
The eight-week class starts on Oct. 14 and students will even get to speak with cast members of the show, notes AllThingsD.
The Walking Dead returns on Sunday, Oct. 13.
image: AMC