How would you survive - and thrive - in a new identity?
The unimaginable has happened. You've awakened to find yourself a newly made vampire. The world is the same, but you are not. What are the ethics at stake for the undead? Keep reading to see what our clever students dug up.
This creative assignment was given to students enrolled in SLAV 230: The Vampire in Literature, Film, and Television. A course taught by Dr. Ani Kokobobo, professor and chair of Slavic, German, & Eurasian studies, and GTAs, Hollie Hall, Oksana Vykhopen, and Jordan Zaugg.
"The purpose of the assignment was to get students to apply certain ethical theories we learned about in class (e.g. Kantian Ethics, Utilitarianism, and Egoism) to a scenario in which they have been transformed into vampires and would need to find ways to sustain their predatory lives," said Kokobobo.
The traditional definition of the vampires as a creature that sustains its life by nourishing on the life force of others - blood or otherwise - already poses an ethical dilemma. In this imaginary scenario, students were asked to think intentionally and in interpersonal terms about the broader ethical implications of their decisions and evaluate their decisions on the basis of their impact on others. What priorities would guide these decisions? Were there ethical red lines that they would be unwilling to cross? This assignment is clearly the best of both worlds - imaginative, yet serious - and oh so fun to read.
Position Papers: The Ethics of Being a Vampire
EXT. BOSTON - MORNING
Montage: Establishing shots of Harvard, MIT, the Boston Harbor, Fenway Park, and Faeuil Hal.
LUCAS (V.O)
I don't know how I got here. I'll probably figure it out eventually, but for now it's all cloudy. Uncle told me this place could get crazy at night, but I didn't believe him.
END MONTAGE
"My Sudden Transformation into a Vampire: A Short Story Regarding My First Week and the Subsequent Moral Reckoning that Followed"
It was an incredibly normal Monday morning; my alarm went off at 6:30 a.m., my cat was curled beside me on my bed, my work clothes were set out for the day, and through the blinds peeped glittering sunli—GAH!!!! THE SUN!!
Where golden rays met my (peculiarly pale?) arms, my skin erupted in blisters. Reflectively, I stumbled out of bed and retreated into the safety of my window-less bathroom. Staring down at my arms, I saw the blisters retreat now that I was out of the way of the blinding sunlight. I’ve always been pale, but even so… this morning, my arms seemed drained of color. I turned around to check the mirror for any hint of ailment, and low and behold; I bore no reflection.
That, my dear reader, is when the panic began to sink in.
August 19, 2023
4:33 p.m.
I know I’m stressed about school starting, but this is ridiculous.
I’ve had this headache for two days. It’s moved up to a pounding sensation in my temples and behind my eyes.
I’ve been guzzling ibuprofen, but nothing’s working.
August 21, 2023
12:46 p.m.
Day one of classes, and I’m already exhausted. And it’s a billion degrees outside; I’ve never been this badly sunburned. Currently sat on the couch slathered in aloe vera and trying to get rid of this headache.
I’m probably just dehydrated.
Chapter 1
I messed up bad this time. Roughly three weeks ago, I went out for a couple pints with some of my fraternity brothers but things did not go as planned.
I was jolted awake with every sensation I have ever felt was all of a sudden heightened. I could hear every sound outside of my dorm and could almost feel the blood rushing through me. My dorm which was once so warm I had to sleep with no blanket, felt unbearably cold. The light coming from my window almost made me feel like my eyes and skin were being scorched. Confusion came over of why I felt all these indescribable conditions. I laid there for awhile trying to figure what sickness could have possibly come over me. Eventually I mustered the courage to start getting ready for class. I got out of bed and opened my dorm door with so much force the door almost fell off its hinges.
Something smells. I wake up from my slumber and I'm quickly hit with a stench that reeks of a decomposing body. My morning haziness has my head spinning and as I'm trying to pull myself together. I look down and my blood quickly runs cold. In front of me is my best friend of years, mutilated, severed, and gushing blood. My white sheets are tarnished with bright red blood that is sopping deep into my bed. I am quickly brought to my senses, my shock is so great, no sound can escape my gaped mouth.
A stinging blurry light was what woke me up. I hissed and withdrew from the blinding incandescent spotlight, my body didn't feel quite right. What happened last night? My memory is foggy, but I remember working in my lab late one night. When - my eyes - they beheld an eerie sight, for my monster from his slab began to rise - and suddenly to my surprise, he did the mash, he did the monster ma - wait no - no. He did not in fact do the monster mash, it was more accurately a jugular dash; for the monster - the vampire - rose from his slab and immediately lunged for my throat.