MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. — Some Central Michigan
University students are getting schooled in the undead this
semester, thanks to a religion course that's exploring apocalyptic
themes in biblical texts, literature and pop culture.
Philosophy and religion faculty member Kelly Murphy says she always
wanted to teach a course on apocalyptic literature, and she is a
fan of AMC's TV show "The Walking Dead." The result is Murphy's
class, which is called "From Revelation to 'The Walking Dead.'"
"Thinking about the end and imagining life in a different way is
something that humans have always done," Murphy said in a
university release.
Murphy's class will discuss biblical texts, review popular novels
and watch clips from movies such as "Shaun of the Dead" and "28
Days Later." Students also will discuss hypothetical ethical and
theological problems that people could encounter in a
post-apocalyptic world.
"The prevalence of apocalyptic stories in various media gives us a
window into what people are worrying about, what they hope for and
how they imagine they would react in the face of a cataclysmic
event," Murphy said. "In the same way, we can read the Book of
Revelation ... and learn what ancient Jewish and Christian groups
were concerned about."
Kevin White, a senior from the Detroit suburb of St. Clair Shores
majoring in political science and religion, said it is important to
incorporate popular culture into classroom settings because it
helps to give students a way to connect with subjects of study.
"Studying ancient biblical texts isn't most people's cup of tea,"
he said. "But, when you add zombies, it instantly becomes
everyone's cup of tea."
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