I took this class during fall 2012, and I would have to say that Professor Margot is probably one of the most energetic and passionate lecturers around campus. He really cares about what he is teaching, and truly believes in the wonders of space and science. *disclaimer* On the other hand his tests are ridiculously hard consisting of conceptual physics, earth science, and the formation of the universe. BUT! do not be discouraged because even though you get a low grade on the tests (the average for my class was 75%) there is Runnegars test whom he co-teaches with and his test is way easier dealing with geology, and planet structures ( average was around 82%) and then they only take the best score out of the two midterms then double it to boost your grade. Also there is a final, but NO LAB! They have a great EC option in this class and all it takes is to go to the natural history museum, La Brea Tar Pits, or California Science Center and you automatically get 10% EC to your OVERALL! grade (so 70% + EC = 80%). So trust me when I say that professor Margot makes his class challenging but definately fair to his students. Also remember if you take this class there are weekly discussions and those are super important to your grade b/c you have HW and weekly tests, but the tests are generally SUPER easy so no worries, they are just there to boost your grade. So I highly suggest this course as an EASY science GE for any incoming freshman or lazy 4th year. I got an A- in the class with some work but it was fun. Also the textbook is pretty useful because professor Margot based his test off both his lecture slides and the reading, but it was generally more on his lectures. so make sure to go to class, trust me its fun and you wont regret it!

The second half of the quarter begins with Professor Margot teaching. He is a very enthusiastic and concerning professor. He is available at all times and asks for clarification during lectures. His power points were easy to understand and most of it comes from the book, so it makes it easier to follow along. The quizzes and homework were worth 40% of the grade. The quizzes were really easy they were based on lectures from the week before.So, just study up on the power points. They were occasionally graded out of 10, so 10 points each quiz. Overall, worth 10% of your grade. While, the homework was mainly based off of the book. Be warned, it is rare to get a perfect score on the homework because the T.A was kind of nit-picky in my class, especially if we did not thoroughly write word-for-word from the book. So, the homework was worth 30%. The final was quite difficult because it contained conceptual physics (as said before in the previous evaluation), it contained some questions about planets, mainly Io and Europa, ice giants, stars, carbon, doppler effect, and questions that were like "did you write your name on the scantron?" The final was worth 30% of the grade. Of course, the other 30% was from the midterm, which was mainly based on geology and mars. As said before, the T.A's take the best of the either two(midterm or final) and drop your lowest score, and double your highest score. Also, the midterm was curved.

Professor Margot is good in general. He has ppts for all his lectures put them online the night before the class so that you can preview. You don’t have to buy the textbook because professor himself explains everything in the class, and if you don’t understand, you can talk to your TAs and ask your friends. Nevertheless you can always refer to it for detailed explanation.

The class has homework and labs. Homework usually takes no more than 20 minutes and you can drop 2 lowest out of 6. Labs are in-section group work on 3-4 pages questions about what you have learned. These labs help you to understand the concepts and are easy to get a good grade. The first discussion was in the observatory, an awesome experience; the last discussion was in the meteorite gallery, which is also very interesting.

Before the midterm, the material focuses on concepts such as seasons, tides, eclipses, and many other things related to physics. Though he never tests calculation, you need to understand concepts such as Kelper’s Laws and Newton’s Laws. The midterm was difficult and a score around 80 was in the A range. The average is always around 60 and that is a B. The material after the midterm becomes boring because he introduces the solar system planet by planet. A lot of pure memorization of less useful stuff is required. Also he does less demonstration in the lecture, because there are probably less experiments to show. The final is hard, too. Only my friends who got A and both midterm and final earned an A or A+ in the end. For me I was below the average a little and got A for final, but still ended up with an A-.

What could the extra credit do if everyone does it? The trip to museum was fun anyway.

My suggestion: don’t take this class as something easy. Be cautious, or you will lose your A like me.

Homework: Really easy. It's like one page of multiple choice questions due every week and you get to drop 2 of them at the end of the quarter.

Tests: The midterm and final are both multiple choice and not that hard. Both were not incredibly easy (averages in the 70s), but the curve at the end of the quarter is amazing. I got a B on the Midterm and a C on the final and had an A in the class.

Lectures: Professor Margot's lectures are great. He is an interesting guy and cares a lot about the class. The other professor, Professor Treude, was very boring.

Discussion: These discussions are required because you have to turn homework in. My TA was bad, but not all of them were.

Overall: Take this class. It's an easy A and it's really interesting. Professor Margot is fantastic and he even offers an extra credit opportunity if you go to a museum during the quarter. I cannot stress enough that you should take this class.

Professor Margot is great at explaining and it shows he really loves what he does. A really nice and approachable professor - clearly cares that the students do well. For people who aren't scientifically inclined (like myself), this course may be challenging. It's not the easiest GE but honestly really interesting. The midterm was easy but the final was much harder & he curved it at the end. Overall would recommend just be ready to learn a little math, physics, and chem along with the general topic (the earth and our universe).

Overall, this class was tough in terms of tests but the curve was very generous.
Lecture: First half of the quarter was taught by prof. Truede, who was very nice but imo pretty boring. I only went to about 3/10 lectures, since powerpoints were uploaded. However, I would receive emails explaining answers to questions that were asked in class that she might not have known, so very helpful in that sense.
The second half of the quarter was taught by prof. Margot, who wasn't super engaging, but had great material and engaging enough for me to go to most of the lectures. What I liked about Margot was that it was more than him teaching material. Every lecture and the class as a whole had a bigger picture, as he wanted to give his kids a genuine interest in the class and change their habits w/pollution, scientific thinking, etc.
Discussions: Really awesome TAs as a whole, my quarter at least. Really knowledgeable and helpful. You have one homework due a week and they drop your lowest two grades, so its a 100% if you look over the slides and don't overthink. Plus, homework was worth 40% of your grade so...
Tests: Not easy, but manageable. First half was on Tina's lectures, which is pretty much memorization. She bolds the important things in her slides so you just go over that, shouldn't be too hard, I managed a A- and never went to lectures. The final was not cumulative and only on the second half. However, Margot had a much harder test. The test average dropped by a lot to a D or so, I got a C-. However, Margot emailed us saying he made the test much harder than usual, apologized, and said he curved us generously, giving me a solid A in the class.
Overall: Really enjoyed this class, not too hard as long as you study, and pretty interesting material. Not a must take, but a easier GE that is a pretty light workload. The curve at the end should help you out a lot, so don't worry too much but still study hard and the tests should be manageable if not easy.

I disagree with the reviews, this class is not easy, and Professor Treude does not make it any easier. She has a monotone voice and puts you to sleep. Going to class was pointless since all the the lectures were off a powerpoint that was just read and not explained. Professor Margot makes the lectures a tad bit more interesting but going to class seemed like a drag. The midterm was a lot easier than the final but the only way to pass the class is studying and grasping the material on your own, otherwise you will be lost and confused. The TAs taught me better than the actual professors did.

I thought this class was by far one the most interesting class's I've taken at UCLA thus far. It is a lot of information that is being thrown at you. The homework assignments take 5 minutes to do if simply just pay attention in class (15 if you go through the slideshow. The exams aren't hard.

One of the easiest GEs I've taken at UCLA. Can get slightly difficult in the middle of the class when you start doing a lot of biology and chemistry, but no prior knowledge of it is necessary. JLM & Prof. Treude do a great job of explaining a lot of the difficult concepts in this class. They are both extremely easygoing and the tests are incredibly easy. Extra credit is offered as well.

Class was easy up until the final. Many of the questions in the final weren't relevant to the coursework whatsoever. There was a question that asked how the a bridge was knocked down, and the answer was wind... wind. like are you kidding me? We learn about tides, gravitational forces, extremophiles and he asks me a question about how a bridge was destroyed, and the answer somehow was wind when we never covered wind in the lecture slides. If you are going to ask random questions might as well ask when Napoleon invaded the Russian empire, at least that's relevant to the world.