Professor Edelson has refused to learn students names in class and is a very uneffective teacher. When students are sick or can't miss class he is rude to them and picks on them in class. His quizzes are largely based on reading which if you don't understand you are in a hard place because the quiz comes before the lecture every class. I took this class my senior year and found him to be the WORST professor I have EVER had here at UCLA. I would not recommend him to anyone. I have tried to communicate with him and it has been very difficult. He is not sensitive or easy to get along with at all.

If you're looking for a class to fulfill your complimentary physical science pair, Astronomy 7 w/ Edelson is a relatively easy one that involves no math and is based largely on reading comprehension of science news articles. Be careful though, Edelson very arbitrarily decides how many people will receive A's which I found very unfair. They are pretty picky when grading the homeworks, so just do really well on the quizzes to boost your grade. An easy science class, but don't let it fool you! Keep those quiz scores high.

Cool prof! Definitely recommend him, he's such a character... I was never, ever, ever bored in his class. Not once did I have the urge to fall asleep; in fact, I always intently paid attention (which is rare for me). He's so passionate and enthusiastic when he lectures that you can't help getting into the lecture. I took Astro 7, and it definitely caused me to think more critically (particularly concerning the media). This was just for a GE, and I think I've learned more from this class than most my others. He's not soft and cuddly or anything... in fact, I was kind of discouraged when I first went to his office hours, but then I realized that it's just his style. I got really bad grades on the quizzes (I'm talking C's and D's), which were twice a week, but I did well on the homework assignments, so I managed to get an A-, so it's not an impossible class. Really fun prof, highly recommended, TAKE THIS CLASS!

Personally, I think the person who said Edelson is "the worst teacher in california! do not take his class" is seriously mistaken. As a fifth year, I am taking Astro 7 as my last GE (talk about waiting until the last minute). Anyhow, I've had A LOT of different professors, and I'd have to say that Edelson was one of the nicest and most concerned professors I've had. Though he can be sort of absent-minded, it starts to become endearing and really funny. You can tell that he really knows his stuff, and genuinely wants students to learn and even think for themselves. He is a fair and pretty easy grader - he even asks to meet with people who are getting the "worst" grades in class, and tries to give them a "pep talk" to do better because there's still hope to do well. If you have to take an Astro class - take it with Edelson.

Edelson is so passionate about his work and is always excited to come to class. He is the coolest! There will never be a lecture when you don't laugh. He knows the material and he lectures well. He'll take the time to explain things thoroughly as needed, and you have to be alert in class cuz he just might pick on you to answer a question. Oh, and he doesn't like people sitting too far away from him, and he doesn't like people that sleep in class.