Image caption Horror fans are expected to be drawn by the course

It is a class to die for - Zombie studies is now on the curriculum at the University of Baltimore.

The new course, which promises to "get you ready for a zombie apocalypse", invites students to devour classic zombie films and comics.

Instead of essays, they write horror scripts or draw storyboards for their ideal monster movie.

The minor class, titled English 333, has already been dubbed "Zombie 101" by the Baltimore Sun newspaper.

They think they're taking this wacko zombie course... but on the way they learn how literature and mass media work Jonathan Shorr, University of Baltimore

It was introduced to meet a demand for "interesting, off-the-wall" courses for a new minor in pop culture, according to Jonathan Shorr, chairman of the university's school of communications design.

'Truly disgusting'

"It's a back door into a lot of subjects," he told the Baltimore Sun.

"They think they're taking this wacko zombie course, and they are. But on the way, they learn how literature and mass media work, and how they come to reflect our times."

However, horror fans will be pleased to find that the class also explores two less academic themes: "blood and guts".

"We're going to be dealing with some of the truly disgusting stuff that's been done in horror over the years," said Arnold Blumberg, author of Zombiemania, who teaches the course.

"I want to reinforce the degree to which this material can be found offensive by a lot of people.

"This is not fluffy bunny cartoon stuff. Bunnies might show up, but they'd probably be torn to pieces."