I am NOTT a science person, I actually really suck at math and science. Why I decided to take this course, IDK. but, it paid off. I needed a GE and this isn't the easiest one out there, but it got the job done. Professor Shapley was actually very helpful in her office hours, cuz we went over the homework, which is where the majority of the work is. Worksheet with less than 10 questions but they killed me.

I can't say I didn't enjoy this course, esp as a anti-STEM person, it wasn't bad. She definitely made lectures engaging and they were helpful without reading the textbook. The textbook is really only there for further clarification but honestly, professor Shapley was clearer than the textbook. I had her during the first quarter online, so she was very accommodating and for that I am so grateful. Many STEM teachers aren't so forgiving but she was, she listened to her students. You can tell she cares and if you have any concerns, reach out!

Alice Shapley is a fine Professor, she is one of the more passionate professors who cares about her students. I took this class because i needed a GE, and since I took her for Astro 3 and had a good foundation in Astronomy, I thought this class was a good fit for me. If you are looking for an easy physical science GE , you are in the wrong place because this class requires you to put a decent amount of effort. The typical class is basically Shapley going over her slides and doing occasional math which is related to the key concepts. The lectures more or less are boring, however sometimes she can be funny and engaging. The grade break down is the following:

Homework: 30%
Midterm: 30%
Final: 40%

The homework was fairly easy and was mostly math based calculations. If you have trouble with it you can either go to her office hours or the TA’s office hours. If you can’t she is more than willing to help you if you send her an email. The midterm was 50 multiple choice / true or false questions and in my opinion it was fairly easily as it was filled with conceptional questions. The final however was harder, with more obscure questions, and tricky calculation questions. She does offer lengthy review sessions, as well as providing a study guide and cheat sheet of formulas. While the final exam was hard, she offers a generous curve. Overall the class is not any easy science GE like the Solar System class. If you put in the effort though, an A is certainly possible.

Professor Shapley cares about her students. The final is tough but the curve is very fair. I recommend her.

Professor Shapley was awesome! She's an incredibly kind and passionate teacher, and I really learned a lot from her class. She made the subject interesting, and it was clear that she put significant effort in her organization. Her office hours every week were extremely helpful too! Lastly, when I e-mailed Professor Shapley with a simple units question, she responded with a very detailed and helpful explanation that must have taken her a good 15 minutes to write. She cares a lot about her students, and is probably one of the best professors here at UCLA.

The class itself: The homework is math based and challenging, but the midterm and final were conceptual. Pay attention in lecture, and the class will be no problem. Highly recommended!

Everyone's pretty spot on with their reviews. Shapley is a joy just to be around, and she teaches some pretty awesome content!
I'm super north campus, but she made me understand Einstein's theory of relativity... Never thought that'd happen.

Just a quick warning, the course description says "essentially nonmathematical course," but that's pretty deceiving. That class is pretty math-based, but it's fairly simple algebra (equivalent to my high school physics class).

The homework was a bit challenging at times (if you're as bad at math as I am; I didn't even get a 600 on the SAT math section), but if you go to office hours, she's happy to basically guide you through it.

Like I said, put simply, I think there are some monkeys out there who are better at math than I am, and this class wasn't that challenging.

*Note: This class is almost the same as Astro 3 (probably 75% of the same content), just a touch more challenging with the math. If you're looking for another easy A and/or found astro 3 fun and interesting, definitely take this class.

I took this class concurrently with the ESS9: Solar System class, and they were also pretty similar and helped me get my Physical science GEs out of the way easily.

Super easy class. I never paid attention in class but I did pretty good for both midterm and final. All you have to do for this class is know all the material for the study guide which would be handed out before the midterm and final. And one more thing, the HW is kinda hard sometime, but you could always go to the TA's office hour to get it done. the grade break down is 30% HW,30% midterm and 40% final. Great and easy GE class.

This professor made this GE very interesting. I would like to warn anyone considering this class that the first few weeks are learning easy physics. Overall she is very nice and is incredibly helpful.

Shapley made this class great. She is passionate about the subject and very concerned about the students. She is extremely helpful during office hours and explains all of the concepts very clearly. The lectures are a little long but it isn't too hard to stay awake, the homework is ridiculously easy, and the midterm/final are simple if you follow the study guides. This is a great class to take if you are looking for an easy GE or if you just think black holes are awesome.

The course was pretty easy. If you don't fall asleep during the lecture, then it's pretty much a guaranteed A. The concepts are basic physics (force, acceleration, velocity) and the stuff about astronomy is really easy to understand. The midterm and finals consist of short answer and true/false. If you're looking for an easy GE, definitely take this class. The homework counts as 30% of the grade which is just an excellent grade booster (hint: if you don't get the homework or want to make sure you get 100% on it, go to her office hours. She basically does the homework for it). The book isn't necessary though, she puts all her PowerPoint lectures online.

Professor Shapley was great. She was very caring and nice, and extremely clear in her explanations. She never seemed caught off guard by any questions, which was also great. As for the class, it was extremely easy. It will definitely be a lot harder if you don't go to class, because the lectures require a bit of explanation. But as it was, I went to every lecture, didn't sleep through them, studied 1hr for the midterm, and 1hr for the final and easily received A's on both. Homework is easy too. The class is mostly math/physics based, and the astronomy concepts are easy and actually interesting too.