Disclaimer: this is not about the overall grade I got. I haven't even finished the class yet.

I understand that this man made amazing progress for scientific research, but some of the things he did throughout this course was unacceptable. I don't really care how intelligent this man is: he was not an effective teacher nor did he respect the students. When he denied us a study guide for the midterm, I reached out asking questions about the material and he refused to answer them. When he finally came around, he gave me the most disrespectful, unhelpful answers. And then! The average midterm grade.. was a D (18/29). But most frustrating were a couple videos he showed at the start of class. One was a ridiculous heavy metal performance by two young girls. He said nothing afterwards. At a later date, he showed a video of a woman getting robotically possessed and then physically abused: she got stabbed in the eye, thrown into a wall, and her dress was lifted to reveal her undergarments. I was appalled. Afterwards, he said, "So what's all that about? Well I'm not going to tell you. Let's talk about Gas Giants."
So with all of that being said, take this class if you want, but just prepare yourself for some extremely frustrating moments. He is a clear reminder that being a brilliant person does not equate to being a successful teacher.

I took this class as a science GE and it didn't disappoint! There are so many opportunities for extra credit and even though the midterms are difficult you can get a good grade in the class! He is a very cool professor that has discovered many important objects in space.

*selling textbook Universe: The Solar System* at discounted price (530)8676910

Professor Jewitt is a god amongst men. Seriously, this guy is a leader in his field and literally proved Pluto isn't a planet through his discoveries. But he still goes out of his way to make the class enjoyable. The lecture slides are posted online; since a lot of them consist of simple bullets or miscellaneous pictures/graphs, you need to attend lecture to get the necessary context. The discussions are very straight-forward and open with a quiz reviewing the previous week's material. Jewitt values students learning the material without worrying about their grades, so he offers a crazy amount of extra credit throughout the quarter. The midterm is pretty specific, but if you took half-decent notes and factor in the extra credit, you'll be fine. He also pulls a good portion of the final from list of review questions he hands out a week in advance. If you get stressed out during your quarter, it won't be because of this class.

If you are a very North Campus person looking for an easy way to complete one of your physical science GEs, look no further than EPSS 9 with Professor Jewitt! He is a great professor and super famous for his scientific contributions (professors like him are part of the reason we should be proud to go to UCLA) and the lectures are pretty interesting, especially when he starts ranting, but you don't really have to go to them and I skipped quite a few. I failed both of the midterms (the average was a D and F) but then I memorized the questions he gave us for the final, did the extra credits, showed up to discussion each week and got an A. Even though what I learned in this class has nothing to do with what I'm going to study in the future, it was still cool and I highly recommend EPSS 9!

Never thought that astronomy can be so much fun - a must-take class!

This class was a joke. I don't recommend it.

I originally felt I did not learn much in this class because I got an F on both midterms but I went to all the lab sections, did all the extra credit,and studied the final review test before the final and still ended up with an A+
15% of extra credit is insane. DO ALL OF THEM people. The more I think about now that the class is over though, I ended up learning a lot more about the material than I originally thought. Take this class with Jewitt and Jewitt ONLY!!!!

If anyone says don't take this class, ignore them. Professor Jewitt is one of the coolest professors you will ever have at UCLA.
Here is the breakdown of his class: He has a textbook for the class, but you are absolutely not required to buy it. Even the professor said it is supplemental reading, and is not required. There are 2 midterms, each worth only 10% of your grade (I received a C- and a D on each midterm). Labs/lab quizzes are 30%, he drops your lowest 2 lab grades. The labs are completion only, so you get an automatic 6 points for just showing up and doing the labs, then the quizzes are 4 points each based on the labs from the previous week. The final is 50%, but he gives you about 90% of the final in advance. These are his "review questions" which essentially, is the final. In fact, 75% of the questions on the final are straight from the first 2 midterms, so you have already seen them before. The best part is the 15% extra credit. He gives you 3 assignments, each 5%. DO ALL OF THEM. It takes you from a 78 to a 93 real fast.
Aside from his grading scale, Jewitt himself is hilarious. He makes his lectures engaging by showing funny videos during class and telling stories about his previous students. Honestly, I think I went to lecture twice after the first midterm (week 4), but he's still funny. Plus he is the scientists that said Pluto isn't a planet. He is basically one of the most famous scientists in his field. Even my dad (who is super into astronomy) fangirled when I told him that David Jewitt was my professor. Not making that up.
All in all, take his class. If you're like me and just trying to get through your science GE's in one piece, take it. It's one of easiest A's you will ever get at UCLA.

easiest fucking class, try your best to take it. i didn't go to class but from what i could tell jewitt is mad chill if you care to go. just go over his powerpoint slides for the midterms, and for the final he gives you majority of the questions before the test. there are 3 extra credits, which are fun, and which i recommend - they're each 5%. labs are kinda annoying but that's it.

I LOVE DAVE! take him, I'm a north campus major but I love space and this class delivers a well-rounded education of the solar system, while giving enough extra credit to get you an A in the class.