GoldC1403-C1404 Earth, Moon, and Planets; Beyond the Solar System
Departments: Astronomy
Professors: Marcel Agueros, James Applegate, Arlin Crotts, David Helfand, and Joseph Patterson
I remember the incident incident referred to in the May 16, 2011 review, and that is not what happened at all. The student asked a question, and the professor asked to come back to it. When he did a few minutes later, the student had fallen asleep. That particular student fell asleep often. The reviewer seems to have been unconscious too to have been so unaware of what was happening.
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December 30, 2010
Agueros, Marcel 
C1403-C1404 Earth, Moon, and Planets; Beyond the Solar System
I came into this class just looking for an easy A/a way to get out of the science requirement. I shouldn't have taken this class.
Though it certainly isn't the toughest course in the world, it's NOT easy. The first couple of quizzes were impossibly difficult; they asked you to apply concepts that we went over in class. BUT some of the concepts were just briefly mentioned in class. Also, the way you were supposed to apply the concepts was impossibly hard.
I ended up getting an A in the class, but that was only because I studied REALLY hard for the quizzes/midterm/final after i realized how difficult he was making them. That said, he definitely eased up on the quizzes. By the end, the testing reflected the extent to which you read the book/paid attention in lecture.
The four assignments were REALLY stupid. We had to write poetry analyses of poems about stars. SERIOUSLY! And he actually went through and graded our analyses. We also had to write a 6-8 page research paper. They were easy but time-consuming and pointless. And h he actually grades them (even though there were probably sixty people in the class... I always thought his level of dedication to the class was almost odd, though it was refreshing in some ways).
The positive aspect of the class is that it's not SUPER difficult (like bio, chem, ect.) yet you still learn a bit. He's genuinely interested in conveying the material well and by the end I think he succeeded in that way. I think it was his first time teaching the class and he was definitely looking to improve, so I imagine that the class will be run better next time. Take it for the science requirement if you don't mind putting in a bit of work and if you don't want to be too bored in a complete joke of a science class (the way that I hear oceanography is).
reading, quizzes, midterm, final
April 25, 2003
Helfand, David
C1403-C1404 Earth, Moon, and Planets; Beyond the Solar System
Please keep in mind that this review is more than 5 years old.
I took both semesters of David Helfand's class to complete the sequence-science requirement, and I am very glad I did. He is knowledgable, entertaining, knows how to deliver an awesome lecture. He thoroughly cares about the class, and he has offered to repeat whole lectures on weekends for when a lot of kids can't make it (like in the case of war protests and religious holidays). Fast, funny, intelligent: you couldn't ask for more in a professor. A tip: I tried to do the problem sets by myself the first semester, that was a big mistake. Don't be timid, find a group to team up with; it makes everything easier and faster.
Medium. Five Quizzes, Five Problem Sets, One Midterm, One Final. He drops the lowest quiz grade.
This class is a joke. I genuinely wanted to learn astronomy, but am dissapointed to learn that we only got through half of the second semester material. If you want an A and a class you never have to go to (he's recently started giving the same lecture twice in a row) this is the class for you. I was dissapointed.
2 joke midterms and a joke final
April 08, 2001
Patterson, Joseph
C1403-C1404 Earth, Moon, and Planets; Beyond the Solar System
Please keep in mind that this review is more than 5 years old.
Without getting into too much detail, this man is the best teacher I have had at CU. Every lecture is funny, interesting, engaging, and, best of all, he really knows his stuff. These classes are popular options for non-science oriented people interested in fulfilling core requirements, but if you have ever had any interest in astronomy than these classes, taught by Prof Patterson, will be worth every second of them.
Workload is get in what you put out. This class is easily passable with next to no work.
December 31, 1999
Helfand, David
C1403-C1404 Earth, Moon, and Planets; Beyond the Solar System
Please keep in mind that this review is more than 5 years old.
Helfand is a funny, dynamic professor who cares about his subject and will make you care about it too. He's involved in major research, but doesn't seem troubled by teaching an intro course. Helfand goes fast, and his problem sets are very challenging. Exams are tough, but curved, although it is entirely possible to do poorly in the course. Nonetheless, not an all-around hard course, and a great way to complete the hated science requirement.
(Same for both courses) Midterm, final, and regular quizzes (easy) and problem sets (hard).
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