My Cluster 70A and 70B professors were Petigura, Jewitt, Friscia, and Brown. This was my favorite class all three quarters. The topics of the evolution of the universe/galaxies/stars/planets/life/ecosystems were SO interesting. I would absolutely take this class again in a heartbeat. It has upended my life plan because now I am debating pursuing a career in astronomy/biology/ecology. Jewitt was an engaging lecturer during 70A, and I was stunned to find out that Jewitt is LITERALLY one of the people who discovered the Kuiper Belt. He is remarkably intelligent -- regardless of how controversial of a person he revealed himself to be in 70B with controversial statements. TAKE THIS CLASS THO!!! I'm pretty sure the department talked to him about the complaints he got. I would take this class 600 times again if I could -- I totally adored it.

this man literally cancelled the planet Pluto

I love this professors and teaching staff for this cluster, but the quizzes are actually really hard and oftentimes the lectures aren't really helpful in preparing for them. It IS a cluster, so there is more workload (bi-weekly quizzes, weekly discussion labs and a 5 page paper due at week 10), but it's manageable. I rather do this cluster than fulfill my science GEs with other classes, so I do recommend taking it!

Took this class in-person fall 2021. To me, I found the material incredibly boring, and the professors are really terrible at creating slides. Each lecture consists of hundreds of slides with either a. repetitive information, b. useless information c. boring information. Most of the information you need to know for tests is not covered in lecture. Fall quarter is all astronomy and creation of the earth. Basic knowledge of elementary physics/chemistry would help, but you don't need any strong math/science skills. The class is really more a writing class since the essay is what makes/breaks your grade.

Class is taught by like 3 professors so consistency is a huge issue and each professor teaches class differently, which makes it aids logistically for you and the TA.

Never talked to any of the professors so can't really say how helpful/willing to help they are.

Quizzes are 30%, consisting of 10 at 3% each. 5 free response quizzes that are super easy, 5 multiple choice that are ridiculously hard. 35% discussion work, this is basically a free grade booster, 35% essay.

Your TA grades everything: get a bad TA and you are finished since you really can't afford to lose points in discussion since your quiz grade is going to be okay at best.

Overall, it's not that hard of a class, but you will need to put in a little effort to get by. Curve is very nice, professors feel the need to give every a grade bump should they feel not enough kids get As. Probably >50% of the class gets As, and you can pass the class without any effort.

Definitely the best professor in the whole Cluster 70A program. His lectures were incredibly engaging, and you can truly see the enthusiasm and passion he has for the field of astronomy. He makes them fun by adding in Sci-Fi movie references while also maintaining very strong clarity. Also, he was really helpful (he would even answer questions that were asked during his walk-through of lecture slides). Really wish more professors were like him.

This cluster is really cool and gets plenty of your GE's out of the way if you aren't in STEM. The class itself is pretty fast paced and covers a vast amount of information so it is important to pay attention to the professors' slides. The cluster was taught by different professors, depending on the subject being taught at the time, so every professor was well equipped with knowledge and experience in regards to the topic they were teaching. Professor Jewitt is remarkable! He is very well accomplished in his field of study and has very good knowledge of the topic. The workload is pretty heavy - there are labs almost every week, and in my case because of COVID-19, there were quizzes on lecture every two weeks instead of midterms. There is also a fall writing assignment that requires you to do a lot of research, but the benefits from taking the cluster are amazing! I highly recommend this cluster, and TA Jesus Salas is so funny and helpful.