ASTR 3480

This is a fun class. The teacher is hilarious and presents the information very clearly. The actual subject matter is very cool as well. I would recommend taking this class.

Hawley is a good professor. He has a very dry sense of humor that gets old quick. The subject matter is fairly boring, but as far as astronomy goes, it's not bad. Relativity is a tough subject to wrap your head around, and Hawley does a decent job of explaining it. Overall, a decent class. Not hard, not quite a gut.

Hawley is witty, brilliant, and an engaging lecturer, making the class an easy way to start off Tuesday and Thursday mornings. You can come away with as little or as much knowledge as you want to. A fun, easy way to fulfill an area requirement if you need it, or if you're just looking for another class to fit into your schedule and are interested in cosmology at all.

Cosmolgy is an interesting class. Basically, if you read the material, the two tests are extremely easy. The final exam is a borderline joke, and homework is a breeze. A word of caution, however: if you do not have a scientific mind, the course material can be a bit difficult to grasp (Einstein's Relativity, Black Holes etc). Reading the book is the key to a good grade. Do the reading and you should be fine.

Professor Hawley has an excellent command of humor and can liven up some heavy science.

This is the best non-major class I have taken at UVa. If you are in any way interested in the origins of the universe, relativity, or crazy aspects of astrophysics, you should definitely take this class. Not only is the material extremely interesting, Prof Hawley is a great lecturer.

Class was great fun. Hawley is an amazing lecturer, and manages to explain very abstract concepts in easily understood ways. Great sense of humor, too. Class isn't as easy as it looks at the outset, but as long as you keep up with the material, you should be fine.

I took this class expecting something light and easy. It certainly was not; I had to work harder than expected. With that said, Professor Hawley is one of the funniest professors I have had so far. He always has witty comments and the lectures are worth attending just to hear some of the ridiculous things he says. The homework is very straightforward and tests are fair. I strongly suggest reading the book - it's pretty good, and it will help explain the more complicated material.

Hawley has a very dry wit and makes some silly jokes, but he conveys the information you need in an entertaining way and the class material is really interesting.

I absolutely loved this class! Hawley can be boring in lecture, and his descriptions can drag on, but he puts all the essential information on his Powerpoints. His lectures and the textbook teach the material at a level high enough that when you see the test, you are pleasantly surprised. The tests are like 90% multiple choice with a few short answer questions.

If you go to lecture, try to stay awake, and then do all the reading (even if you don't understand all of it), this class will be an absolute breeze! I got an A+ without even understanding the more complex ideas that the book describes.

If the title or material of this class even somewhat interests you, then take it!!!