Fall 2012 Issue - Colby-Sawyer College

Zombies.” HvZ, as it is
affectionately called by
those who take part, is
essentially a week long
game of tag in which an
ever-growing number
of “zombies” attempt to
tag (and infect) an ever-
dwindling number of
“human” survivors.
As the hordes of zombies
grow and the ranks of
humans diminish, students
become ever more
creative and vigilant in
their efforts to survive the
week. As I watched this
student leave my office to
begin his perilous trek
across campus, I wondered
if I had stumbled onto
a theme for a new course.
I began digging into
zombie history.
Much to my surprise and
delight, my investigation
into the many deaths and
rebirths of the zombie
uncovered a rich layer in
20th-century American
history. From its introduction
in the early years of
the Great Depression to its
current explosion in print,
television and film, the
zombie has risen from the
grave as a symbol of the
nation’s deepest fears,
whether of the masses of
desperate unemployed
workers in the 1930s or of
the fanatical 21st-century
terrorist.
I fell in love with the
seemingly unlovable
zombie and knew students
would, too. After all, the
zombie is the perfect
protagonist for a liberal
education class because
it crashes through
disciplinary boundaries.
Zombies have been summoned
by both economists
who disparage the
financial institutions kept
alive by state interventions
and philosophers who
construct “philosophical
zombies” to examine
the nature of human
consciousness.
By the fall semester of
2011, I had harnessed the
zombie’s awesome power
and found myself discussing
the parallels between
first classes and first dates
with the 20 students
enrolled in my first-year
Pathway seminar, lovingly
titled “ZOMBIES!!!”
Many of these students
confessed that they enrolled
in the class simply
because they love zombie
movies, yet the energy
of these students revealed
the incredible power of
student engagement. Once
“The zombie is the perfect
protagonist for a liberal education
class because it crashes through
disciplinary boundaries.”
shown the complexity
buried within this undead
creature, they began
making connections and
moving in directions I did
not anticipate. The discovery,
construction and
execution of this course
has been, by far, the most
satisfying “academic first
date” of my teaching
career.
Eric Boyer, who joined the
college in 2008, teaches
classes in government,
history and political science.
He was awarded the
Outstanding Teaching in
Postsecondary Education
Award by the New
Hampshire College and
University Council in 2012
and Colby-Sawyer’s 2011
Jack Jensen Award for
Excellence in Teaching.
Fall 2012
15