Josh Allen, Mary BrownlieSelf-defence instructor Mary Brownlie (right) demonstrates a release technique using a kubaton keychain weapon on Sandwich Secondary student Josh Allen during the zombie survival field trip to the UWindsor campus Friday.

University disciplines demonstrate anti-apocalypse utility

The University of Windsor offers a lot of valuable skills to survive a zombie attack, students from local high schools learned during a field trip to campus Friday.

About 70 Grade 11 and 12 students attended workshops highlighting various academic disciplines, explains organizer Lydia Miljan, professor of political science and chair of the interdisciplinary arts and science program.

“We introduce them as survivors of a zombie apocalypse, touring the campus to learn how to: source food, live without communication technology, diagnose the zombie bug, engage in self-defence training, blend in as a zombie, create civil society, and even understand why popular culture is so interested in zombies,” she says.

UWindsor students took on zombie personae to shuffle after the visitors, adding a mock-spooky note to the scenario.

Emma Gregoire, a Grade 11 student at École secondaire E.J. Lajeunesse, said the theme made for an exciting experience.

“The whole aspect of a zombie survival day sounded interesting,” she said as she practised self-defence techniques in the Education Gym. “A lot of the information presented today has been really useful.”