Macaulay Honors College
Zombies and Vampires: Fact and Fiction
Instructors: Sylvia Tomasch (English) and Derrick Brazill (Biology)
Fridays 1:00 PM – 3:40 PM
Macaulay Honors College, Classroom 3N
Why zombies? Why vampires? Why zombies and vampires now? While audiences seem unable to resist the onslaught of the undead in fiction, film, television, video, graphic novels, etc., zombies and vampires don’t just live (or not live) in popular culture. There are also important connections to pressing issues in contemporary science. In this course, therefore, we’ll consider vampires and zombies in terms of folklore, history, politics, gender, race, and biology (to name just a few issues that will arise during the semester). Because of the wide range of materials and approaches, students will have opportunities to focus on the areas of their greatest interest.
Novels
| Name | Author | ISBN |
|---|---|---|
| World War Z (2006) | Max Brooks | 0307346617 |
| Fledgling (2005) | Octavia Butler | 0446696161 |
| I am Legend (1954) | Richard Matheson | 0765357151 |
| Interview with the Vampire [Part I Only] (1976) | Anne Rice | 0345337662 |
| Dracula (1897) | Bram Stocker | 1503261387 |
Part of the Benjamin Cummings Special Topics in Biology Series
These books are 40-50 pages each and written at a senior high school or first-year college level.
| Name | Author | ISBN |
|---|---|---|
| Emerging Infectious Diseases | Stuart Hill | 0805339558 |
| Stem Cells and Cloning | Kelly A. Hogan | 0321590023 |
| Understanding the Human Genome Project | Michael A. Palladino | 0805348778 |
View the preliminary syllabus
Please disregard the date, time, and location mentioned in the syllabus as it was the syllabus for a past semester.
Course Number:
MHC 380