For those of you who have ever had an argument over the possibilities of a real zombie apocalypse, the answers might be right here on campus. Antonio Thompson, associate professor of history, and his wife Amy Thompson, associate professor of biology, are currently writing a scholarly book on zombies.
“It’s not a fiction book,” Antonio Thompson said in an APSU press release. “Zombies are just a vehicle to push us forward. We’re looking at real life events and disasters that we thought could be world enders, or at least devastating, such as Hurricane Katrina or the 1918 flu epidemic.”
“The Real World implications of a Zombie Apocalypse” is set to be released in the fall of 2013. The content of the book is driven by two main questions: Is it moral to kill a zombie, and what is the true likelihood of a zombie takeover?
“I know of one parasite that attacks people, and the victim has zombie-like traits,” said APSU student Amber Schmidt. “I think a zombie apocalypse is possible, but not probable. I don’t want it to occur in my lifetime.”
An APSU news release states the book is “very academic and could be used as a tool for planning for real-life catastrophes.”
Recently, other universities have been using the study of zombies as pop culture phenomenon in order to engage students. “The zombie books and movies, they really capture what we’re frightened of right now,” said Antonio Thompson according to an APSU press release.
Prior to the Thompsons’ book, many shorter articles have been written on the subject. In one such HubPages article “The Reality of a Zombie Apocalypse,” holding tight and keeping a low profile are said to be paramount to survival. The article states the best chance of survival is to go north, it said, “Theory is that in extreme cold, because zombies have no blood flow, and that they would freeze easily, or at the very least, they would be slow in movement.”
Bringing an academic perspective to the issue, the Thompsons’ book will consist of “20 chapters that examine the zombie apocalypse from historical, political, military, neurological and biological perspectives,” Antonio Thompson told the APSU press. “It will also examine the legal and financial implications of such a disaster.”
Zombie literature as a pop culture phenomenon is on the rise throughout the country, and is beginning to have an impact on the academic world. In treating the subject with academic professionalism, the Thompsons’ hope is to build more connected relationships with students while studying the real-life implications of disaster training.
