Having to take classes in Stanford should give you a feeling as students of a prestigious university and experience that not only helping you with the subjects you are interested in but also can help you expanding your teaching method by experiencing the teaching practice of academicians at the university.
This page will give you ideas from examples of what we took last year.
The requirements
You are only required to take 2 classes per quarter and are allowed to do more if you think you can handle it. There are some classes that are compulsory for you based on IIE's request. These classes have been very helpful for us. The requirements might be different now. Last year we were required to take a language class and an American studies class.
The language class helped us not only acquired a new language and remind us to have some mercy to our own students, but also to teach us more about the teaching methods used in language learning. Some of us applied this teaching method in our own language class.
American studies was the class that we took collectively. All of us gathered in the same class of Understanding American Humor. It was a fun way of understanding American's culture and fits the requirements very well.
You might want to do the same this year of trying out something different in both cases your mentor will guide you on what you want as well as meeting the requirements.
What to take
The other classes that we took are of course the classes that we are interested in. Some of us took classes in English to improve our English, art (painting), journalism, and education. If you are interested in classes of sport that does not require lots of work and help you to stay fit, Stanford offers few classes in athletics that suit this needs. Stanford has huge facilities.
You can find these classes offered in each quarter by searching in Axess, the same place your students find your class. You need to be aware of the class you choose. Seminar and workshop classes are offered for graduate students that require lots of reading and presentation of research. Lecture classes are always the best option. All information about these classes are available online in Axess and also in the guidebook that you will receive in your mailbox at the beginning of the quarter.
Classes you can take
As far as we remember, our mentor Dr. Prionas has been very flexible to let us experience as much as we want. There is no limit of what classes we could take and how many of themas long as we could still perform our teaching classes well. Somehow two classes per quarter has been the best number for us to handle. There are so many other things that you you will miss out if you are teaching and taking many classes. Just remember that there are other things out of classes and Stanford that you need to experience, too.
Audit vs grades
The policy will allow you to audit classes and not taking it for grades. This means you will not get any credits of being in the class. In many cases, the professors are generous enough to mark your work but keep in mind that they do not have to. For that same reason, your name will not be listed in the list of students. What you can do at the beginning of the quarter is to write to the professor of the class and have the courtesy to ask for permission to join the class. Keep in mind it is his/her prerogative rights to accept or decline you in the class that is why you need to have a back up plan of classes that you want to take.