University students eager to be spooked can enroll in horror-themed courses to get their fill of all things eerie. Zombies as a Metaphor, CMST 3900, will be offered to communication studies majors in spring 2009. A horror film course, CMST 3013, Topics on Film Genres will also be offered. On top of for-credit courses, students mays also get in the spooky spirit by taking a leisure course or participating in creepy campus events. Tracy Stephenson Shaffer, assistant professor, has been studying and teaching horror at the University for about five years.  “Zombies are not singular; they are always in a group,” Shaffer said. “They are silent consumers, and they represent what we are obsessed with and what we are scared of.” This monster is more popular now than ever, Shaffer said.”Over the last 10 years I’ve seen this unbelievable number of zombie films,” she said. “I wonder if the zombie has replaced the serial killer, and if it has, I wonder why.” Shaffer said she hopes to answer this question in the course.  Shaffer said students are interested in zombies because zombies represent what a group of people may be feeling.”I love zombies,” said Caroline Walker, construction management freshman. “They are just easy to understand, and maybe a little misunderstood.”Students also show their interest in zombies at the Zombie Walk, which took place on campus Wednesday night.”They are just so excessive, and they actually scare me,” Shaffer said. Some students agree with Shaffer. “I have never heard of Zombie Day,” said Mark Stevens, communication studies senior. “When I saw [the zombies], they scared the shit out of me.”Anne Rodriguez, communication studies sophomore, said the Zombie Walk was very interesting. “The makeup and dreary stature was cool,” she said. “I felt like I was in a horror movie.”For brave students, a more spine-chilling class is available.Ghost Hunting 101: A Scientific Approach to Paranormal Investigating, is offered as a leisure class through the LSU Student Union. “I might try it, since it’s a leisure class,” said Michael Lee, mass communication junior. “I would definitely be creeped out, though.” Students like these topics because they are not foreign, Shaffer said.She said zombies, vampires and ghosts are monsters that can be interpreted differently by everyone, which is why students love them. – – – -Contact Aimee Effler at [email protected]