It’s 2012 – the last year recorded in the Mayan calendar, leading people to believe that the end of the world is upon us. With that, many hypothetical versions of an apocalypse have been thrown out into popular culture, including a zombie apocalypse. Television shows like Walking Dead on AMC and the anticipated Zombieland on Fox are currently trying to capitalize on the idea that the world will be overrun with flesh-eating zombies. And major television networks aren’t the only ones jumping on board. Michigan State University just announced its newest Summer 2012 elective course, Surviving the Coming Zombie Apocalypse – Catastrophes and Human Behavior, according to MSU News . The summer study begins and ends with a “Catastrophic Event Simulation,” according to the University’s course description , during which members of the class are grouped together to represent different areas of the U.S. During the simulation, members of the class “must face the challenges of living and surviving together during a catastrophic event.” But the class is so much more than a spreading virus explored through the use of zombie make-up and creative acting. It seeks to focus on how human nature responds to catastrophic events. The course description asks:“How do humans behave in catastrophic times? Does their behavior change in the midst of trying to survive and the decisions they face? We will examine major catastrophic events from the past, look to potential future events, and consider a concept for increasing our chances of survival.” Glenn Stutzky, social work instructor and creator of the course, told MSU News that “the topic is serious and worthy of academic study, the challenges presented in surviving a hypothetical zombie pandemic have real-world applications…After all, zombies make everything more interesting." Though only students at Michigan State can sign up for the course, everyone can follow along this summer through the course’s YouTube channel . So if you’re interested in knowing how to survive a zombie apocalypse, we recommend following along – before it’s too late.