Walking Dead fans, your school of choice is crystal clear. The University of California Irvine is offering a free, eight week online course on surviving the zombie apocalypse. The basis for the course will, naturally, be the AMC’s hit TV show The Walking Dead.

The following is a description of the course:

From understanding social identities to modeling the spread of disease, this eight-week course will span key science and survival themes using AMC’s The Walking Dead as its basis. Four faculty members from the University of California, Irvine will take you on an inter-disciplinary academic journey deep into the world of AMC’s The Walking Dead, exploring the following topics:
Maslow’s hierarchy of needs–is survival just about being alive?

Social order and structures–from the farm and the prison to Woodbury

Social identity, roles, and stereotyping–as shown through leaders like Rick and the Governor

The role of public health in society–from the CDC to local community organizations

The spread of infectious disease and population modeling–swarm!

The role of energy and momentum in damage control–how can you best protect yourself?

Nutrition in a post-apocalyptic world–are squirrels really good for you?

Managing stress in disaster situations–what’s the long-term effect of always sleeping with one eye open?

I have to admit, when I first saw this I was almost ready to call it a waste of time, money and a gimmick. I was expecting silly things like how to swing a random object hard enough to ensure maximum beheading efficiency, but instead found some very real and useful topics. They all theoretically make sense in a zombie-filled world, and if I was in school and had the extra time to swing it, this course would have definitely made it into my schedule. Ignore the fact that it is a free online course; don’t poke holes in my excuse, punks.

If you are interested, you can enroll now from UC Irvine’s website.

[via Geekologie]