Every once in awhile, there comes along a professor who makes you think about things from a different perspective. For the most part, however, it’s probably safe to say that the thought provoking concept does not revolve around zombies. Zombies (the undead, the living dead) are meant to be cast off as the interests of over-enthusiastic teenagers, right? Think again. Those who have thought that idea have never met one of Iona’s most esteemed faculty members, Professor of Religious Studies Kim Paffenroth.

Beginning in 2001, Paffenroth has held a teaching position here at Iona College, sharing his wealth of knowledge accrued from graduate schools   with his undergraduate students.

“There is a certain ‘baseline’ enjoyment of talking about things that interest you, sharing your enthusiasm with your students,” Paffenroth said. “Students bring a fresh new perspective that we who have looked at this material for years can enjoy and benefit from. It reminds us how we felt the first time we read these books.”

Paffenroth’s scholarly interests took a turn that  he did not expect. With the remake of George Romero’s “Dawn of the Dead” in 2004, what was once a passing, teenage interest in zombies was rekindled. With more time and education, Paffenroth was better able to articulate what exactly it was that attracted him to the idea of zombies in the first place. Professionally, he wrote a book entitled “Gospel of the Living Dead: George Romero’s Visions of Hell on Earth,” in which he viewed Romero’s creations from a scholarly perspective as opposed to an uninformed teenage one. In the horror community, Paffenroth’s book was well received. It inspired him to continue writing, and write some zombie fiction of his own.

Paffenroth’s foray into zombie fiction became a reality with the 2007 publication of his first novel, “Dying to Live.”

In continuing his writing in the horror genre, Paffenroth decided to focus on one of his favorite texts, “Dante’s Inferno,” with the intent of placing Dante in direct confrontations with the undead. For Paffenroth, placing Dante in these precarious situations offered him new perspectives on his favorite text that he previously had not had.

“I wrote ‘Valley of the Dead,’ and I loved how it got me to think about Dante and his ideas in ways I hadn’t before”, Paffenroth said. It really was an exciting and rewarding challenge, thinking what Dante and zombies had to say to each other, or to the reader.”

For Iona College students, it is this type of dialogue between teacher and student that has garnered Paffenroth general praise and admiration. His unique take on an interesting subject has opened many minds here at Iona, and it is only hoped that he will be able to do so for a long time to come.