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.

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).

First half of the class is mainly biology (with ties to astronomy), whereas the second half is more purely astronomy.

Teaching: Both had organized and visually appealing slides. While I initially found her boring, I came to appreciate the effort and passion she has for her field. JLM is more engaging and funny, but both are solid professors.

Homework: Simple! Multiple choice, matching, fill in the blank, short 1 or 2 sentence answers. 40% of the grade, able to drop lowest 2 of 8 scores.

Textbook: "Astrobiology: A Very Short Introduction" Tiny $10 book but covered the content of the course quite well. Could forego; they only ask a couple questions from the book on both exams.

Exams: Treude's midterm was quite straightforward and most of us did really well. However, JLM's final was a nightmare. I couldn't believe some of the questions he asked because there were a few definition or memorization questions that were barely discussed (if at all. And then the majority of questions were conceptual and IMO unnecessarily difficult. Questions from the book were also extremely obscure...

I really don't understand why the questions on the final were not more representative of the time and effort put into certain subjects of the course. I got a 90 on the midterm and 71 on the final. To put this into perspective, 158 students out of 422 got a 90 or above on the midterm, and only ONE MEASLY KID got a 90 or above on the final. And only 38 students on the midterm got below a 70 versus 271 on the final. I expected better out of JLM.

I do not feel like my score represented my actual knowledge of the material, and that's the worst feeling! I expected to kill this final and get an A+ in the class overall, especially considering that I did the extra credit too. Yes, I still got an A, but it's disappointing to feel cheated by a terribly written final. There is still a generous curve - my friend got a C+ on the midterm and D+ on the final (which was below/above average respectively) and ended up with an A-. However, don't let the other reviews fool you into thinking you can get an A+ while doing nothing. While there is very little daily work, the astronomy portion will require some effort.

As a lover of astronomy, I really appreciated the class as a whole. But man, that final... X_X.

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.

JLM was absolutely terrific. He had a great presence in class and his lectures were pretty fun to attend. Great class, great material, great professor.

The co-instructor Tina Treude should be commended for her efforts as well.

Selling the Life in the Universe book 3rd edition for earth ans space sciences 3 for $90 OBO. Its useful for some lecture reviews and great for discussion. If interested please text me **********

Professor Margot is an excellent lecturer. He is very passionate and his lectures are fun. This course was easy, just basic biology, geology, and astronomy. TA's were excellent too. The textbook is not necessary, as the tests are based on the lectures. The book is a great read, but you'll be fine with a PDF or not buying it at all if you don't want to spend +$100 for it.
The homework and classwork is really easy, and is given every week by the TA during discussion, where the TA goes over the material discussed in the lecture. And there is a midterm and final of course.

One of the most passionate professors I've had. Take this class

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.

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!