Around 15 lecturers from departments ranging from anthropology to English of Lone Star College (LSC) will include zombies and demons related topics as part of their curriculum.
Jared Cootz, a professor of sociology and psychology, was the first one to start the Sociology and Zombie Apocalypse classes last year spring.
Cootz told USA Today that students started to show interest in fear & horror themed topics and classes were full strength every time.
According to the data by Cootz and LSC English professor, Simone Reick, last year fear & horror series classes achieved success with 87 percent as students' concentration and time-management improved substantially.
Sociology and Zombie Apocalypse classes feature reading books like World War Z and watching movies by legendary director George A. Romero.
"Students who don't even look like they've watched a horror movie once in their life are excited about the work. I was never bored with my assignments," Tara Thomas, junior English major, told the newspaper.
In addition to coursework, students also take part in volunteer-based activities outside the classroom during the semester, like food and blood drives, guest speakers, movies, panel discussions and play capture the flag by dressing as zombies.
Students can choose from 19 fear & horror themed classes in anthropology, biology, criminal justice, English, information technology, philosophy, psychology and sociology.
Cootz said that these fear and horror courses offer an alternative path to build a learning community.
Every lecturer will teach the course from a fear point of view focusing on elements such as monsters, urban legends, cyber-terrorism, folklore, alternate realities, ethics and the zombie apocalypse.
