First things first, this should NOT be anyone's first astronomy class at UVA (unless they have extensive background knowledge of astronomy). I would strongly recommend taking either ASTR 1220 or ASTR 1290 before this class, as either one will definitely help you since you'll only have to focus on the new difficult concepts presented in the latter half of this course.

This class is really, really interesting if you enjoy astronomy, physics, or any science in general. The professor is great. He is really funny, engaging, and knowledgeable about the subject at hand. The first half of this course is more like a history course and goes over a brief history of cosmology and the theories that made it possible (Aristotelian to General Relativity). There is nothing too tricky in the first half of the course and homeworks up to this point are perfectly easy and straightforward to write about (homeworks are five free response questions that are usually straight from lecture, the textbook, or plain common sense).
However, the second half of this course is hard. And I mean hard; it's a stark jump in difficulty between exam 1 and 2 (the average was an 82 for the first and a 70 for the second). Even if you glide through the first half of this course with ease without reading the textbook too in depth, you will fail this class if you don't for the second half. YOU HAVE TO READ THE TEXTBOOK or else you will miss many of the homework questions (as they get extremely specific and nitpicky) and you will likely suffer a huge drop in your score for the second midterm. The textbook is a tad dense, but it is well written (by Prof. Hawley himself) and is an absolute necessity to do well in this course.
The final is not too difficult (I'd say halfway in difficulty between the two midterms). Unless you know the specifics of cosmology and all the events of the early universe, you have to read the textbook to get an A in the class. This class isn't overly difficult, it's just that you have to read the assigned chapters (unlike most astronomy classes at UVA). The professor makes the class so worth it! Take it, but only with some prior astronomy background; you won't regret it!

Hawley is one of the most interesting professors I've had at UVA. Before taking his course you should definitely check out his Wikipedia page. I am a second year biology major, and this was my first astronomy class. Since the class description says its open to first year, non-science majors, I assumed I would be alright. I've taken calc 2, but no physics since high school. I would definitely recommend taking physics here (or having AP physics credit) before taking this class. Hawley can often go on tangents during his lectures, and his powerpoints don't contain a lot of writing so it can be difficult to keep up with him. I'd definitely recommend reading the chapters in the textbook (which Hawley wrote) because his thoughts are much more organized there. The weekly homework assignments can be difficult, but don't be afraid to see the TA for help if you feel lost. All in all, I would definitely recommend this class, just not as a first astronomy class or to a non-science major.

Hawley is a great lecturer, complete with (occasionally) funny jokes and a fairly clear and concise style of teaching. His slides are just broad strokes of what he covers, so make sure to take notes. Also, reading the textbook is probably the single most important thing you can do to ensure a decent grade. Tests can be difficult, but the final was a lot easier and is worth more. I don't know what my grade is yet, but I put in an average amount of work and (from my previous test and final grades) expect and average grade. Take it if you're actually interested in cosmology - otherwise, there's probably a better fit for you out there.

This class is interesting if you want to study astronomy as a major/minor. Even though prerequisites just say "recommended lower-level astronomy course", you should DEFINITELY take 1220. It briefly covers topics in 3480 and is so so so helpful. I took these two courses at the same time and saw a lot of overlap, but previous in-depth astronomy knowledge is pretty much essential for cosmology. For me, the first half of the course was pretty easy, and the second half is much more difficult. You NEED to take notes on a laptop; Hawley goes into so much detail that you will not have time to write down. This class is pretty difficult, and all of my test grades were average or very slightly above. Go to office hours, they will help with the homework.

Such a great class. Dr. Hawley is friendly, funny, and explains things in a clear and understandable manner. Tests are predictable- just read the book. The things you learn will undoubtedly transform the way you view the universe.

Currently only a second year, but thus far this is the worst class I've taken at UVA. It is so incredibly dense and Hawley is extraordinarily dry. Very difficult to do well, I took the class with some very intelligent people and none of us got higher than a B+. The test averages were consistently below 80 and there was little to no curve. Also shoutout to Dom, the ta, for refusing to give anyone higher than an B on routine hw assignments, but I'm assuming he's no longer the ta so I guess that doesn't matter. But really unless you have a profound interest in becoming a cosmologist, stay away from this course.

This class was very challenging and it should not be advertised as "open to non-science students." The professor is nice, but he teaches this class from an entirely physics and calculus based perspective. The tests are super challenging and didn't always seem fair. Unless you're really invested in astronomy or physics I would not take this course - especially is math/science is not your thing.

Lots of reading, material can be enjoyable. Difficult tests

A worthwhile class. I found Hawley to be very engaging despite the somewhat dry material at times and the information really makes you think. I think the information is definitely worth knowing, but with that said I found a lot of the information difficult to grasp because I don't have a very scientific mind. There are more formulas than I assumed there would be, but still a great class!

Prof. Hawley seems like a great guy, but I honestly found the class to be unbearable. Despite attending all the lectures, doing all the readings, doing the homework and studying for exams, I couldn't seem to do well at all. Perhaps this was because I took the course a first year without any Astro background, but that was because everyone I knew who had taken it seemed to like if. If you're not good at science or don't know if this class if for you, or you're a first year, I'd recommend just avoiding it. Better to be safe than sorry.