ASTR 5
Life in Universe
Description: Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour. No special preparation required. Topics include formation and evolution of Earth and Sun, life on Earth, origin and evolution of life, solar system, habitability, extra-solar planets, search for intelligent life in universe, and interstellar travel. Draws primarily from astronomy and biology but includes some chemistry, geology, and physics. P/NP or letter grading.
Units: 4.0
Units: 4.0
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Most Helpful Review
very hard to follow in lecture, tends to digress and mumble. organization of class is not great and it is sometimes hard to draw broad themes and concepts that make sense out of the class. BUT exams are based almost entirely on lecture, so its easy to miss something and then get screwed on the test. that said, he gives study guides and grading can work to your advantage if you do invest extra time to know the answers to each of the study questions. make sure you go and talk to your TA frequently and ask questions. interrupt prof jura in class if he is going too fast and you get lost.
very hard to follow in lecture, tends to digress and mumble. organization of class is not great and it is sometimes hard to draw broad themes and concepts that make sense out of the class. BUT exams are based almost entirely on lecture, so its easy to miss something and then get screwed on the test. that said, he gives study guides and grading can work to your advantage if you do invest extra time to know the answers to each of the study questions. make sure you go and talk to your TA frequently and ask questions. interrupt prof jura in class if he is going too fast and you get lost.
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Most Helpful Review
Fall 2017 - DO NOT TAKE MALKAN IF YOU HAVE NO PREVIOUS KNOWLEDGE IN ASTRONOMY OR PHYSICS!!! Even when I felt confident about the midterm he put topics that WE DID NOT FOCUS ON. He assumed we had previous knowledge in physics, which I did not. Lectures were interesting, but the exams were by far too difficult for a GE! Would only take if you are prepared to invest A LOT of time into this class.
Fall 2017 - DO NOT TAKE MALKAN IF YOU HAVE NO PREVIOUS KNOWLEDGE IN ASTRONOMY OR PHYSICS!!! Even when I felt confident about the midterm he put topics that WE DID NOT FOCUS ON. He assumed we had previous knowledge in physics, which I did not. Lectures were interesting, but the exams were by far too difficult for a GE! Would only take if you are prepared to invest A LOT of time into this class.
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Most Helpful Review
Winter 2019 - If you need an easy science GE to balance a tough class load or need a GPA booster, take this class! Dr. McLean is a great professor because not only does he give a majority the class an A, but he is really passionate about the subject and strives for students to gain the same appreciation. Meaning he is always very helpful and breaks down astronomy to make it clear and concise. The class was graded on online quizzes, one 50q midterm, 1 90q final, and discussion participation. The homework quizzes are straight from the lecture slides. The exams are verbatim his exam reviews and the quiz questions. You get discussion participation for showing up. It is extremely easy to do well and I encourage students to go to lectures because it is honestly awesome stuff to hear about. Protect Dr. McLean at all costs!!!!
Winter 2019 - If you need an easy science GE to balance a tough class load or need a GPA booster, take this class! Dr. McLean is a great professor because not only does he give a majority the class an A, but he is really passionate about the subject and strives for students to gain the same appreciation. Meaning he is always very helpful and breaks down astronomy to make it clear and concise. The class was graded on online quizzes, one 50q midterm, 1 90q final, and discussion participation. The homework quizzes are straight from the lecture slides. The exams are verbatim his exam reviews and the quiz questions. You get discussion participation for showing up. It is extremely easy to do well and I encourage students to go to lectures because it is honestly awesome stuff to hear about. Protect Dr. McLean at all costs!!!!
Most Helpful Review
Spring 2018 - A decent class and Prof. Morris is a nice guy and very knowledgable. The lectures are all BruinCast and the sections are optional reviews. If you know the material on the lecture slides (also online) you can do a passable job in this class. The info is interesting, but Prof. Morris loses his train of thought sometimes. Overall a solid and relatively easy GE, not life-changing but no complaints
Spring 2018 - A decent class and Prof. Morris is a nice guy and very knowledgable. The lectures are all BruinCast and the sections are optional reviews. If you know the material on the lecture slides (also online) you can do a passable job in this class. The info is interesting, but Prof. Morris loses his train of thought sometimes. Overall a solid and relatively easy GE, not life-changing but no complaints
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