ASTR 1210

Professor Murphy is a really great at explaining concepts in a very easy-to-understand way. He recognizes that many people taking the course are doing it for an easy science requirement and he makes the material fun and interesting. Highly recommend taking it.

This class is really good to take honestly if you're looking to knock out some of those basic requirements or pre-reqs. There are only three quizzes plus the final exam, so you can say they're relatively spread out from each other. The professor is super knowledgeable and has been here since like the 90s, so he is well versed and knows what he's doing. Like he literally uploaded all the lecture notes and the schedule for the whole semester early August. The homework is very manageable and he always opens it 2 weeks or more before the due date, so plenty of time. I would say the main downside is that this course is very content heavy, so just be prepared to have to learn and memorize a lot of things in preparation for exams. #tCFfall2021

Murphy was a very engaging professor, and he made a large lecture personalized and exciting. The class does have a fair amount of homework and virtual labs; however, Murphy is very friendly in office hours if you need help. I feel like Murphy made this class manageable and really fun, however I tended to struggle on the tests. I would suggest studying a lot for them and going to lectures. The lectures are always recorded which is nice if you have to miss.

I feel like if I was actually interested in astronomy, I would have really liked this class! I only took this class to fill one of my last disciplines and I'm a Foreign Affairs major, so I really have little to no interest in astronomy. Professor Murphy is for sure very smart and is so enthusiastic about the class. He also has many accommodations in place for students (records the lecture on Zoom so students can join if they can't come to lecture, posts the recordings for students to watch later if needed, etc). You can tell he made a lot of accommodations for his students during the pandemic and kept many of them in place even after coming back to in-person classes. I never went to his office hours, but he just seems like a nice, funny guy who loves astronomy and is quite a dad (in the best way!).

Every lecture is planned out well and his Canvas is very organized and clear. There's usually a homework on the Pearson site due every Sunday, but no quizzes. There were 3 exams spread out through the semester and then the final exam; the exams were open note and pretty reasonable. My only qualm is that there were a lot of labs, and a lot of them you had to go to the Astronomy Building or outside to a place where you could clearly see the moon or stars, which was just difficult to organize. It felt like a lot of labs for a 1000 level class.

Overall, I'd recommend this class, especially for anyone who needs to fill up that discipline requirement! It's a good class, and you can definitely get an A in the class without insane amounts of effort. #tCFF23

Like most people taking this class, I took this for an easier science credit since I am not a STEM person. If you are in the same boat as I am, I would highly recommend this course. Professor Murphy is extremely passionate about his subject and makes it very clear in his lectures. Sometimes the lectures went off topic in my opinion but by no means is that the end of the world. the class is broken down by homework assignments, virtual labs, participation, three exams, and a final. The three exams and final were take home; however, they were somewhat challenging. DO NOT slack off on the online homework assignments as they carry a lot of weight and are easy to just not care about. I thankfully ended with a A but it would have been higher if I had not slacked off on the homework. Professor Murphy is super flexible and offers zoom lectures, which came in handy as it allowed for me to stay home longer during fall break. I really appreciated that from him. The course was extremely interesting the first couple of weeks but then i found it starting to become dull as the semester went on. If in search for an easy science credit, I would recommend

I took this class as a first year and it changed my life! Professor Murphy is a phenomenal lecturer and a very nice guy. I took this class during the pandemic, when it was mostly asynchronous. During class times, he would hold optional office hours, where he would tell us about events in the world of astronomy and tell us the stories behind constellations. The class itself covered a lot of topics in astronomy and, although it wasn't super easy, the professor was always willing to re-explain things to make sure you were getting it. Taking this class sparked my interest in astronomy, and although I didn't end up majoring in astronomy, I did just finish my minor in it and am now headed to grad school for science writing. I feel that taking this class helped me to pinpoint what I liked about science and learn how to apply it to my other interests. I would definitely recommend this class to anyone -- even if you aren't that interested in science and are just looking to fill a requirement. #tCFS24

11/10 recommend! I'm not personally a physical sciences person, so I took this class as an easy science requirement. As a first year, this class really felt like good way to ease into big lecture hall style classes. Prof Murphy is so engaging and I love the way he lectures. This class has made me seriously consider taking more courses in the astronomy department. For tests and homework, they are mostly easy if you listen and take notes during lectures, as well as read the textbook chapters posted in Canvas for the week. Tests and quizzes are open note and textbook.

I'll preface by saying that I am a humanities major, and haven't taken a science course since sophomore year of high school...I struggled more than I was expecting in this course based on the reviews. I did every homework and lab, attended every lecture, went to office hours, had a tutor, and still did poorly on exams every time. My one critique of the course would be that the tests were oddly worded and often confusing. Despite the fact that I got Cs on every exam, I ended up with a B+ in the course. Professor Murphy genuinely wants everyone to succeed, and there are many opportunities to bump up your grade (PollEverywhere, early lab submission, etc). He is a really nice guy, and super passionate about astronomy. Had I been more interested in the subject matter and less inept in STEM courses, I likely would have earned an A.

This is a great easy class to take if you need to fulfill a gened requirement. The midterms and final are online and open note, and the rest of your grade is lecture participation (poll everywhere) and homework and labs, also online. The hardest part of the class are the two labs that you have to go to in person, but if you have an hour free on a Monday night, you'll be fine. I recommend.