COLUMBIA (WACH) - When most of us think of zombies we think of the flesh eating undead, but students in a University of South Carolina class getting a different taste of what zombies are.
At first glance Professor Glenn Jellenik's class resembles a movie theater, but it's paper and pencils instead of popcorn; as students go beyond the blood and guts that the undead are known for on the big screen.
"This class is designed to allow us to consume something, that we normally don't think about, but to stop and de-zombify ourselves and really think about what they're saying and what they're doing about it."
Jellenik's class learning how zombie movies reflect the fear and anxiety in our society. Film major Wickham Flannigan learned the zombie culture originated in the Caribbean.
"These Haitians were being made into zombies so this myth came about that this soul less person would do mindless labor, and more recently you have the George Romero zombie."
Those creatures in Romero's film bearing a startling resemblance to Black Friday shoppers. Jellenik's students also finding out that politicians, and even people stuck in the same routine have zombie like tendencies, minus of course the flesh eating.
"Maybe it's become a bit old hat recently," said Flannigan. "You know there's been a lot of zombie stuff, but it's nice to be able to intellectualize it a bit and see maybe why it's become so popular."
Jellenik's students hope to make a killing on their final exam which wraps up this May semester class next week.
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