Zombie education invades the UNI campus

Zombies have long pervaded popular culture in films, video games and novels, and now they are taking over academics at the University of Northern Iowa.

"The Anthropology of Zombies" is a unique class being taught this semester by anthropology professor Don Gaff. Gaff organized the class as a fun way to explore a number of social and behavioral topics.

"On one level, the class is silly and fun, but on another level, the class is exactly what should be done at a university – showing that any topic is worthy of study and that critical thinking can be taken out of the ivory tower and applied to things you come across in daily life, like zombie movies," he said.

In the class students will watch a wide range of zombie films, from Bela Lugosi's 1934 "White Zombie" to the recent zombie-comedy hit, "Zombieland." Students will also read articles that coincide with the social relevance of each film at the time of its release, allowing for a diverse discussion on a number of issues such as race, gender and identity.

Recently the class watched George Romero's 1968 classic, "Night of the Living Dead." Film, just as any other work of art, is a reflection of its time, and that goes for each and every movie made.

Zombies themselves can be seen as a reflection of humanity.

"Since zombies are physically people but without personhood it gives us an opportunity to reflect on ourselves," Gaff said. "In other words, what can the undead say about the living? Once you adopt that perspective, you can start seeing the social and philosophical relevance of zombies."

In addition to the self-reflective and cultural indications of the zombie meme, the class will consider the existence of real zombies. Although most people view zombies as an entertaining, fictitious product of Hollywood, zombies originated from Haiti, where Vodoo sorcerers would bring people back from the dead using magic potions. Zombies, to those who practice Vodoo, are very real.

As senior anthropology major Anna Moran put it, "In most cultures zombies are fictitious; however, in some cultures an educated woman is also fictitious. I think it is all about perspective."

Another topic the class will touch on is the possibility of an apocalyptic event and what it could mean for humankind.

"We, as anthropologists, need to be able to understand human interaction, human response, and human behavior during times of pandemic," Moran said.

A guest lecturer from the Cedar Falls Hartman Reserve Center is scheduled to give a presentation on outdoor survival.

"Anthropology of Zombies" offers a wide variety of perspectives for use when analyzing zombie media. As much fun as the class can be, the subject is one that can be taken seriously.

"Anthropologists have taken the case of Haitian zombies seriously, philosophers take zombies seriously, and even survival experts pay attention to zombies as a way to plan for the apocalypse," Gaff said.

Callie Moline, a senior art and anthropology major in the class, said the course is worthwhile.

"Understanding all aspects of culture, even what people consider the silly aspects, can help you understand the culture overall, and that's what anthropology is all about," she said.

If a zombie apocalypse occurs, be assured there is at least one group of students at UNI who will be well prepared.