This class is textbook heavy and you must do the readings to complete the weekly homework due on Sunday nights. Not an easy GE. Can't say lectures were engaging. Tests are really difficult but multiple choice. Labs are a bit difficult if you are not a science person -- make sure you pick good lab partners. You usually get out of labs early.

Easy class since the midterms and final were based off the mastering astronomy practice questions, some are just straight copied. He posted every practice question available before the final so I just did them all (there were like 500+) and I pretty much had answers for half the final. The labs were just busy work and you could often finish early. Pretty chill guy and would recommend this class if you are good at memorization.

I was advised to take this class for a science GE since I am not a South Campus major. These were some of the most daunting lectures I have ever sat in. Additionally, sitting in the dreary hall of Kinsey made the class even worse. Fitzgerald simply went over too much information to the point where you could not enjoy the material you were learning. His assignments on top of the labs were a bunch of busy work that took hours each week to complete. We would go over about 2-3 chapters per week which would be correlated with heavy homework. The good thing about him is that he does want to help you but is a bit socially awkward when you do speak with him. I would recommend you take this class as a whole, just with a different professor if you truly want it to be a breeze.

This was a decent GE. The material was not difficult, but there was a lot of it. It kind of seemed like the professor was trying to pack in a little more material than what is appropriate for this class. Labs are pretty easy, but I found the in class mid terms to be a little tricky. But if you use the study guides and pay attention in class it's not too difficult. I am personally not very interested in the subject but there were still some things in lecture that fascinated me from time to time.

Nice guy! I took Astro 3 and it was interesting and I thought the lectures were interesting enough. His slides were pretty similiar to the book, but he sometimes had is own interesting insights. The labs were easy and boring. I got an A- without ever studying so if you're looking for an easy GE this fits the bill.

Astronomy 3 with Fitzgerald was by far the easiest class I've taken at UCLA. If you're looking for an easy A and an extremely interesting GE, this course fits the bill in every way. Everything from the local bodies in our solar system to the history of the universe and relativity was covered, and for the average lay person (like me), the material could be quite mind-blowing at times. Your grade is based off of two midterms and a final, filled with questions ranging from easy to insultingly-easy, and off of labs, which are also very rudimentary. That being said, everything is extremely interesting, so you never feel like you're being talked-down to or that you're wasting your time in lecture. I would recommend anyone with a physical science GE requirement take this course; just sit back, relax, and enjoy Fitzgerald's tour through the universe.

I took Astronomy 3 with Professor Fitzgerald during Winter 2015. It was my favorite class of the entire quarter. The class itself was not too difficult. During lecture, Professor Fitzgerald goes over the material from the book. He follows it really closely, so it's not necessary to attend lecture; Though, you should attend because you paid for this class! I believe he should expand a little further on the material rather than going over everything from the book, but you only have ten weeks, and you're trying to get the big idea. As a professor, he is very approachable and very helpful! He took time to make office hours, since I could not really attend his usual ones. The grading of class is rather generous, to be honest. We had two midterms. The first average was 83% and the second was 70%. I feel like he deliberately made the first exam easy, and trolled us with a harder second exam. The final, being cumulative, was fair. It was an amalgamation of simple to difficult questions, depending on whether you did the reading or studied. The average for the exam was 71%. What really screwed me over were the online quizzes. These questions can be anything from simple to really specific. Make sure to read before you attempt it. You are limited on time with these quizzes. The other grading portion was the lab portion of the class. This was the area with my lowest scores. This, however, depends on your TA. I had friends who would always score perfect, and their TA was helpful and friendly. My TA was pretty monotone and gave brief instructions before commencing the labs. The overall grade is weighed as followed: Midterm 1 &2 20%, Final 30%, Labs 20%, Quizzes 10%. The class is curved, by the way. As a double major of both North and South campus, I enjoyed the class. This class, overall, was not an easy A, though. If you're a lazy student that doesn't want to read or study, I suggest you look into something else. If you have some interest in learning about the cosmos, take this class! You will love it, and the professor! Best of luck!

Very organized, helpful and nice professor.