Photos by Justin Cook | The Roanoke Times

John Boyer teaching, on stage, in action.

Virginia Tech seniors Jason Jenkins and Ryan Knicely (right) laugh at the Plaid Avenger's routine during his World Regions class.

John Boyer goes into his routine during his World Regions class at Virginia Tech. About 2,700 students are enrolled, but more come to watch.

BLACKSBURG -- It's about 5:30 p.m. when Virginia Tech geography professor John Boyer takes the stage. The heavy metal music that has been playing stops along with the murmuring from the crowd of about 3,000 students gathered in Burruss Auditorium.

"How's everybody doing tonight?" Boyer says, emphasizing the last word like someone opening a pep rally.

The crowd emits a half-hearted cheer. It's Labor Day, the second week of classes.

"I'm not taking that weak sh--!" Boyer shouts. "This is class two!"

A louder cheer fills the auditorium, and Boyer launches into his shtick.

"In preparation for this class I drank a pint of coffee and a fifth of bourbon!"

Students laugh. A few yell their approval.

"No, I'm joking."

A pause.

"Seriously, I never drink that much coffee."

This is the beginning of Geography 1014: World Regions. With an enrollment of 2,680 (plus those who grab a seat just to watch) it is about three times the size of the next largest class ever taught at Tech, thanks to the popularity of its highly unorthodox instructor.

Despite the fact that the enrollment represents more than 10 percent of the university's total undergraduate population, Boyer is committed to getting his students to interact.

For this class, he frames student interaction as a challenge that, according to "the man," is "unaccomplishable."

"You know what I say to the man?" he asks the students. " 'Up yours, man!' We will do it. We will have some interaction!' "

He announces that there are people with microphones throughout the auditorium to help the class do that, and the students cheer.

Boyer laughs.

"OK, that's cool," he says. "You can cheer for the guys holding the mikes."

Boyer began teaching Geography 1014 in 1998, but this is the first year he has allowed it to grow so large. It initially drew 50 to 70 students, but after a couple of years the demand increased to the point that he needed to move it to McBryde 100. The largest lecture hall typically used for classes at Tech, it seats 585 students.

But eventually even that proved to be too small as word about Boyer's class spread.

Last year, 3,000 students who requested the class could not get in, he said. So this spring he looked into moving to Burruss. The 3,003-seat auditorium is used to host concerts and speakers, such as Jesse Jackson or author Doris Kearns Goodwin.

After some wrangling, Boyer was able to reserve the auditorium for most Monday nights during the fall semester. In addition to the classes, the three-credit course includes Sunday night movies and quizzes relating to different parts of the world.

"He kind of relates to us more and keeps us entertained," sophomore Jack Quinn said in explaining Boyer's popularity. Boyer, who grew up in Vinton and received undergraduate and graduate degrees at Tech, has won multiple university teaching awards voted on by the students. He has used the same unorthodox style since he began teaching in 1998.

Geography department head Bill Carstensen said the large class is "truly an experiment to see how it works." Feedback from students and from Boyer will help determine if the university will try it again.

The class size may prove to be too much, but Boyer's personality and his ability to draw students in suits him perfectly to the task, Carstensen said.

"He'll say about anything and he does things and says things that most of us wouldn't. But that's what makes it all work. Because you don't know what to expect, you come to class excited."

Several students said friends told them to take the class, which runs from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m., with a one-hour break. Most come back after the break, keeping the auditorium hot and stuffy and packed.

There are weekly quizzes and two exams. Boyer supplements his lectures with podcasts about current events in which he is dressed as the Plaid Avenger. He created the masked globe-trotting character for the "Plaid Avenger's World" book that serves as the class textbook.

"I guess my detractors would say I'm just a clown and so people come just to laugh, and the class is easy and silly and stupid," Boyer said when asked about his popularity.

But he said the focus on current events and the frank discussion about the world seems to keep students interested.

According to the class description, Geography 1014 covers "geographic, historic, environmental, demographic, religious and economic characteristics of various areas of the world." But Boyer, 39, emphasizes current events. He said he sees a gap in the discipline that leaves most young people short on context about international conflicts and world politics.

"I want people to understand the news, when they walk out of the classroom, for the rest of their lives," he said.

The effort at interaction during the Labor Day class worked. Students spoke up, asking questions that steered the class discussion of current events, the development of society and population growth. A Muslim student volunteered to explain Ramadan. A Kenyan student revealed that she is planning to have seven children.

That backed up the population growth charts that flashed on a large screen behind Boyer, who couldn't contain his glee as he paced back and forth on the stage.

"Yeah! This is learning in action!" he said.

Boyer's lecture also included brief impersonations of a Chinese government official and the Pope, a comment about the phallic symbolism in one population chart and the declaration that Vladimir Putin is "the baddest ass world leader alive."

Crude language, cultural and sexual stereotypes and alcohol references in the first edition of Boyer's book made him the subject of a complaint by a faculty member in 2007. After the complaint, Boyer added a sticker to his book warning about explicit language and urging respect for diversity, but he said he has not toned down his teaching methods.

"I'm trying to be as genuine as possible. Which is why people learn from me, I think," he said. "I'm not trying to offend anyone. But I understand that everything that I could possibly say could offend someone."

Several students in his class compare Boyer to a comedian but insist that they learn from that approach. Tanaka Dube, a freshman from Fairfax, said he has never heard a teacher talk like Boyer does. But his language and his opinions about different cultures do not offend him.

"We can't hide it, we can't baby it," Dube said. "He just brings it out, so I respect that."