ASTR 1220

Saslaw is easily the most boring professor at UVA. His lectures are impossible to follow, and he makes no sense. He puts absurd questions on his tests, and the average scores on all three were 55. That being said, going into each test, I knew nothing but the textbook. I studied that thing until I knew it like the back of my hand. The tests required no critical thinking, and with my knowledge of the book, I was able to average a 76 on all three tests, which gave me the highest grade in the whole class. So, in order to do well in this class, you don't really have to go to lecture. If you know the textbook, you will do well.

There's no homework except for reading the textbook and the Constellation Lab, which has to be done by early November. The only grades you receive are for the lab, and three non-cumulative exams (no final exam). Average grades on the exams are usually in the low to mid-50s. The final grade is curved. Exams go a lot better if you keep up with the reading. The professor is pretty boring to listen to and doesn't use slideshows or anything during lectures, but he'll occasionally show a graph or diagram from the textbook.

Saslaw is a bright professor, but a horrible lecturer. By the end of the semester only 15 out of the 35-40 people in the class regularly went to class. He tests things that he doesn't teach, including from footnotes of chapters not even on the exams. Do not take this class unless A. You really love astronomy or, B. You are good at math and have a science background. Wait until a different professor is teaching it-- RateMyProfessor will agree with me on this.

DON'T TAKE THIS CLASS. I read the reviews and thought "eh whatever I can do this" but NO. His lectures are SO dry and boring. Also his tests are awful, our last test average was 62. SIXTY-TWO. You can stay up all night memorizing the textbook, but he will throw in some irrelevant facts from lecture and screw you over. I also go to lecture every day and things don't get better. Don't do this. Take any other class, just not this one. Nope, nope, nope.

I can't recommend this course. Not an "easy" intro astronomy course by any means. I myself got glocked on numerous occasions. The classroom discussion itself is very bland, with no visuals or additional information to the textbook. Saslaw belongs in research, because the course fails at fostering a student interest in astronomy, and brought way more stress then it should.

DO NOT TAKE. As a naive first year first semester student, i thought this course would be interesting and relatively easy because it is an intro course and was about stars, galaxies, and blackholes and shit. I could not have been more wrong. Saslaw is a horrible lecturer, extremely boring, and is unable to use technology such as slideshows/power point. I read the book and went to every class and still averaged around a 60 on all the tests because they were so hard, which somehow managed to curve to a B. This class was not worth the trouble, consider taking 1210 if you are set on taking an astronomy class.

DON'T DO IT. IT'S A TRAP! I withdrew from the course because I thought it would only get worse before it got better

Stay away at all costs.

Worst teacher at UVa. Do not take this class. If you do, don't go to his lectures, read the textbook like your life depends on it. You will come off with a decent grade but it won't be any fun. Huge curve, I made an A but it's so hard.

Saslaw definitely knows his stuff, but his lectures are pretty boring. Read the book, memorize the formulas, and you'll be surprised by how easy the tests are. This course has 3 tests (but no final), one 'star' lab, and a very large curve.