OT - MSU offers zombie apocalypse survival class
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?
Tell me that you are making this up. Please. It's too good.
Video intro is epic. Unclear why Dantonio does not make cameo. He was born for this role.
SW290 -- Surviving the Coming Zombie Apocalypse: Catastrophes & Human Behavior from swonline on Vimeo.
Awesome.
I would absolutely take this class.
My first thought too. I just checked the Onion homepage and it's not from them. And April 1st is still weeks away so..........
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.
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.
Here is an article that has some of those courses. The most surprising to me is UC Berkley offering a course on the strategy of Starcraft.
http://www.onlinecolleges.net/2009/02/25/the-15-strangest-college-courses-in-america/
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.)
While that may be true, having a bunch of people obsessed with it doesn't cause the school to automatically make a class about it.
You've identified the chink in the armor.
#ESPN'd
That's probably mandatory for graduation at colleges in Seoul
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?
If my friends at State don't take this class, they will be more dead to me.
If they DO take it, will they be UNdead to you?
You only want to take this class because you know how much of a joke it is. Classic MSU proving they are inferior.
I'm pissed I didn't think of pitching this idea to my college (sigh).
They should be pretty good at burning couches for warmth after the apocolypse.
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.
This will be the first time I've ever said this in a public forum; MSU, I am indeed impressed.
Sorry, but this is awesome. Props to Sparty.
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.
Rule number one: Cardio
Don't forget double tap. Just to make sure.
And always buckle up... not that I am referring to the possibility of a commitment, although that would be awesome right now.
When in doubt, know your way out.
Dont let the hot neighbor across the hall in 4C (sorry forget the actual number) into your apartment even if she is Kate Upton.
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.
Dude knock it all you want, but this class looks awesome. I want to take it.
Speaking of which, I hated the end of Sunday night's "The Walking Dead" episode.
He was a little bit annoying, but so are a bunch of the other characters (Lori, Carl, Shane, etc.).
IMO, Shane is, by far, the most complicated and interesting character in the series. I love the Rick/Shane relationship.
I'm reading them now. Good stuff.
If I were Rick, I would have put a bullet in Shane's head a while ago. But obviously I'm not Rick.
Had the circumstances been reversed, I'm sure Shane whould have killed Rick in a heartbeat.
I agree that Shane's actions are believable, which essentially means he a real live dumbass and deserves to die. Of course, that also means he makes for good television and will live. But yes, Lori is the worst mother ever.
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...
I've read that Carl will be in the show at least for a while longer, and you will hate him even more down the road. I do think they will knock off one or two more people before the end of the season though.
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...
That is a good point about T-Dog. He has been very absent from the last few episodes. There is only one episode left this season, right?
I think they said two left during the end credits this week
Ah must have missed that, thank you.
Yeah not a fan; however, I was kind of glad because the old guy was annoying me with his nose always being in other people's business.