From safely shooting a gun to cooking an excellent meal, these unique and often overlooked classes in Auburn’s curriculum may surprise you

By Meagan Arnold and Kaitlyn McCarthy

“The last thing I am is a teacher,” said Taylor about his class, PHED 2100: “Wheelchair Sports for Everyone.” “I keep telling the kids in my class, ‘don’t tell anyone about this class.’ Once it gets out, it’s going to get popular.”

The class focuses on creating an inclusive environment and introducing adapted sports to any student who is willing to step out of their comfort zone. Each semester Taylor teaches some of the basics of playing numerous adapted sports.

“I’m not getting them ready for a competition. I’m just getting them ready to push the chairs and have fun,” Taylor said. “It seems like as the semesters have gone on, students are coming in with more and more excitement for the class, which is awesome.”

Students first learn how to move, stop and turn in wheelchairs. Later in the semester, they learn how to apply those skills to different wheelchair sports including football, frisbee and tennis. The class also focuses on other paralympic sports such as blind soccer and goalball.

In lieu of a final exam, Taylor has students volunteer at the men’s wheelchair basketball tournaments. This lets students see one of the sports in action and gives the adapted sports program at Auburn more exposure.

“I want alumni to know how inclusive Auburn is in terms of the class offerings that they have. ‘Wheelchair Sports for Everyone’ is just a small snippet of the number of different classes that Auburn offers. And we’re just fortunate to be a small part of that.”

Franks began teaching WILD 2410: “Introduction to Pistol” in the fall of 2022 and is looking forward to a fourth semester of instructing gun skills to students this spring, always placing a heavy emphasis on safety.

“This generation of students doesn’t have as many opportunities for uncles, grandparents or dads to introduce them to the shooting sports,” Franks said. His goal is to bridge that generational gap by providing students with a basic understanding of safety, marksmanship and entertainment throughout the course.

With a maximum of 12 students per section, each student is given one-on-one attention from one of the three instructors present. The class uses air pistols to begin and gradually works up to real .22 pistols in the last five weeks of the semester.

“I commend Auburn for letting me do something like this, because it is part of our world. And I would rather people know how to do something safely than go and buy a pistol, stick in their purse and not know what to do with it.”

“Introduction to Pistol” offers students the opportunity to learn to be responsible gun owners in a safe environment. The course is open to students of all majors, and Franks encourages students to register regardless of their skillset or knowledge level.

“It’s fun and it’s outdoors,” Franks said. “What better way to spend class time in the South?”

3. Beneath the Blue—“Scuba 1”

“We take students from having zero experience to being totally certified,” Professor James Lloyd said. “If you’re interested in learning how to dive and can swim, we will take [you].”

“Scuba 1” provides students the opportunity to get real training and scuba experience in the Aquatics Center pool. It also offers lectures that cover the rules and regulations of scuba diving. At the end of the course students have the chance to earn their certification if they choose.

The class gives students the opportunity to travel all over the world, from Cozumel to Turks and Caicos. Students get the chance to test their skills in open tropical waters while also experiencing new cultures. If going abroad isn’t something that interests you, they even offer a trip right down the road to Lake Martin.

Lloyd has been teaching scuba at Auburn for 35 years and has been able to teach multiple generations of Auburn students, many who have recommended it to their kids years later.

Lloyd loves being able to witness students have unique experiences in the water. “One of my favorite things is seeing people experiencing things in the water for the first time. Like taking somebody to the Keys and they see a reef for the first time, or it’s the first time you see a shark. Stuff that gets people all jacked up.”

4. Commanding Control—“Control Room Operations”

With about 20 students per class, students learn what happens during a multi-camera live production and gain exposure to all aspects of preparing for a live video production. This includes the basics of live operations crew positions and hands-on learning using real industry equipment and technology.

The course was first introduced into the Auburn curriculum in 2017 and continues to give students skills that make them stand out to future employers in the sports broadcasting industry.

“My favorite days are when my former students come back and talk to the current classes,” Young said. “It really gives current students a glimpse of what their future career can look like.”

The course falls under the recently added Sports Production major in the College of Liberal Arts, which prepares Auburn students for careers in the sports broadcasting industry. Many students who graduate from this program go on to work at major broadcasting companies like ESPN.

“When you are watching a live sporting event on TV, there is a good chance that an Auburn grad is working the crew,” Young said.

5. Radiant and Resilient—“Contemporary Topics in Women’s Health”

The class goes into depth on traditional topics like pregnancy and menopause, while also putting emphasis on more current issues like mental health in women, domestic violence, and women in the workplace.

While the class covers topics relating to women, men are encouraged to enroll if they are interested in these conversations. “We encourage any students who want to be better informed about issues that affect the health of women to take this course,” Thompson said.

The course goes beyond topics that solely relate to women, teaching students’ lessons on health insurance benefits and how to choose health insurance plans when they enter the workforce.

Thompson aims to bring light to issues that may unexpectedly affect women’s health. Students learn from nursing faculty and guest speakers with different areas of expertise from mental health counselors to a certified lactation consultant.

6. A Taste of Success—“Introduction to Culinary Arts”

“Each semester I am flooded with emails from students interested in taking our culinary courses, however, until now, we could not offer them a course,” said Auburn’s Culinary Science program coordinator Mark Traynor, who has a doctorate in Culinary Arts and Science.

This new, three-credit hour class is wrapping up its first semester and has been a huge hit with students. The course holds up to 16 students who currently represent 14 different majors on Auburn’s campus.

Rivera finds joy in the first class of each semester. “The students seem so energized that they made it through their first lab,” said Rivera. The hands-on class is full of excitement and eagerness from students week after week.

Students are exposed to a wide array of ingredients and skills to cook them to create a delicious and appealing dish. “I enjoy seeing the creativity and collaboration that the students put into their final dish each week at the daily plate-up,” Rivera said.

“’Introduction to Culinary Arts’ is open to any and all students who want to learn some basics and some advanced cooking techniques and expand their current culinary skills,” Traynor said.

To find these classes, along with many others that were not mentioned, look through the Auburn University course catalogue. There are many classes that could surprise you and offer a unique learning experience.

Did you take any fun or crazy courses during your time at Auburn? We want to hear from you! Share your favorite class experiences here.