For students looking to take a break from sitting through boring class after boring class, Auburn offers several courses that, gasp, may be considered fun.
Classes such as vegetable production, bowling and self-defense have become popular electives that students take in order to have variety in their schedule.
"There's just so many classes that people are required to take that you have to sit through and suck it up," said Katie Britt, senior in history. "Sometimes if you can get a class that is actually interesting to attend and engaging to participate in, then it's worth signing up for and going to for three hours a week."
Britt, who recently took issues in technology and culture, said she enjoyed taking her unusual class because it was required in her major, but still offered interest and fun.
"What we did in it was watch movies and discuss how the atomic bomb had an effect on popular culture," Britt said. "I just kind of happened to take it, and I think the subject changes every semester with the change in teachers."
Still, not everyone takes an unusual course because they are interested in it.
Shannon Kelley, junior in kinesiology, said she took a self-defense class because she knew it would be a boost to her GPA.
"I took it because it was one hour, an easy A and I wanted to learn to defend myself," Kelley said. "I think my draw to take the class was because I didn't have to pay straight out of my pocket, and it was a class that I would want to take outside of school, so the fact that I could get a grade for it was even better."
In self-defense, Kelley said she learned upper body defensive moves, lower body defensive moves and got to practice on an attack dummy.
Another unusual course, one that gets students out of the classroom and into the sunshine, is intermediate vegetable production.
"We had an organic garden and a regular garden that uses synthetic fertilizer," said Holly Whitfield, who took intermediate vegetable production with James Brown. "We planted the crops and harvested the crops, and then we got to take home whatever we wanted."
The course, a three-hour class, is popular with students because it offers a chance to get hands-on experience in vegetable production in a controlled learning environment.
"I had Dr. Brown for vegetable production the semester before and I found it really interesting," Whitfield said. "Plus, when I get older and have a house of my own, I might want a garden, and it was a good experience for everyday life."
She said she thinks people take unusual classes like intermediate vegetable production to make school more interesting.
"It is just a break from the mundane, everyday class work that you have," Whitfield said. "It is something exciting and you can learn anything that you want to learn about."
It's this excitement that keeps students coming back for more.
Whitfield said she enjoyed Brown's classes so much, she took all three of his electives offered.
Kelley also said she isn't going to stop at just self-defense. She plans on taking yoga and dance to help boost her GPA.
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