I took this class P/NP online, which I recommend doing if you are not a science major. I think like 30+ people dropped this class in the first 2 weeks because it is really not for you if you are bad at physics. Malkan often operates on the assumption that you know some physics already so he doesn't explain basic principles. The workload isn't bad. You have a weekly quiz along with homework questions and some textbook readings and two midterms and a final. The homework and textbook readings often seem unrelated to the lecture and quiz content. The first midterm was very hard but he curved a lot. The second midterm and the final were much easier because he kind of tells you what is going to be on them. DO THE PRACTICE SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS HE GIVES YOU. The grades for this class seemed all over the place so I would definitely take it P/NP. Malkan is incredibly enthusiastic about astronomy so it makes his lectures interesting (he also sometimes mentions his wife which is cute). He is the kind of passionate that makes him go one a lot of little tangents so remember to read the slides instead of just listening to him talk. Overall, an interesting but semi-stressful class.

If you are taking this class as a GE, THINK AGAIN! This class was an absolute nightmare. I went into it thinking it would be my easy class for the quarter, and then I found myself spending hours and hours preparing for each exam, only to preform at the average. If you don't have a strong astronomy or physics background, be prepared to likely receive a grade lower than an A. I didn't have a strong physics background, but I did study a lot, and I still got a B. The professor was passionate, but he also was sometimes rude and didn't respond to emails in a polite way. This discouraged me from wanting to go to office hours or ask questions, as I felt I was more of an irritant than anything else. I really, truly, and deeply regret taking this class, because that B sucks. I learned a lot and enjoyed the material I was learning, but the grading of exams was insane. He didn't even curve them one bit, OR offer extra credit. My kind advice, be very weary of this class.

The course starts with difficult physics if you've never taken physics previously, and the professor often doesn't elaborate on the more basic physics concepts that much of the class simply didn't know. The professor is a passionate and interesting lecturer and the content is fascinating if you have an interest in astronomy. However, this is not an easy GE class and you should not take this class expecting that. If you have a genuine interest in astronomy, this class will be great. Otherwise, I would consider other GE options.

I think this class was really fun and you learn some amazing things about the universe and what’s in it. The midterms are not too bad since the reviews he gave lines up with them fairly well. The final review was not a good review for the final, def study everything from the prior midterms/ slides. Good class overall, he’s a good professor and enthusiastic.

Tl;dr, don't take this class if you want an easy GE. You will actually have to go to class/watch his lectures/read his slides (that he sometimes posts). Take this class if you have a background or some experience in astronomy. (Fun fact: I'm doing FAR better in an upper div with a worse reported grade distribution than this class. Take my word for it; it's not as easy as you might think.)

I'm doing OK in this class (on track to finishing with P), but boy does this class suck. I love astronomy and everything about the Universe, but this class made it so stressful to figure out what I even need to know. His slides are a mess: sometimes one slide can contain a large paragraph of text, from which he will make several test questions, even though it may seem like trivial information. Other times a slide will have nothing interesting/of value to you (unless you like convoluted graphs and botched formulae).

If it seems important or very difficult, don't bother studying it; if it seems easy to remember, memorize it. That's basically how he makes his exams, with the exceptions of a few questions being difficult. If he says "this won't be on the exam," or anything along those lines, IGNORE IT. He said that about X and still put it on the exam; luckily I was able to convince the TA to not count that question against me. Also, the homework was only helpful for about 30% of the exam. Everything else came from scrutinizing his slides on my own time.

He also isn't clear about how much each exam/the homework is worth to your grade, or if there is even a curve.

Professor Malkan is one of the most interesting professors I have had. He is a little insane and very passionate about astronomy. He throws chalk, he is HILARIOUS, and the class never knows what to expect. Great lectures, goes into things with interactive examples. I have never taken physics, but I could understand the class and it was easy to approach him for questions I had. His office hours are a little unreliable, but if you email him he will promptly respond to emails and tell you when he is available.

This class was honestly really hard. He gave MASSIVE curves for the tests and I still barely managed a C. It seems like what he discusses in class has nothing to do with the tests. If you do take this class, DO THE ONLINE TESTS he doesn't mention them but they're really helpful! He sends an email out right away saying this won't be like an ordinary GE class and that it isn't easy so IF YOU'RE LOOKING FOR AN EASY GE DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS WITH THIS PROFESSOR

I was so interested in taking this class at first and after two weeks in I had to drop! The professor is not clear with his lectures.. anyways I'm selling my book the cosmic perspective for $7 email me if wanted- *************

I fell in love with Astronomy after taking this class. I had to take a science G.E. and I'm not a science major so I was scared at first, but the class turned out to be one of the most fascinating classes I've taken.
As long as you attend lecture or do the readings, it isn't very hard to get an A.
Selling the textbook. Contact **********.

This was one of the best courses I took at UCLA. Though the class was at 8 am twice a week, the presence of professor Malkan in the lecture hall was like multiple shots of espresso, mainly because his over the top enthusiasm for astronomy and astrophysics is so goddamn infectious.