<p>I've never had any prior interest/experience in astronomy, but I'm curious about the subject and thought it would be a great way to fulfill a PBS requirement. If anyone has taken an intro class in astronomy before...would you recommend the lab as well, for someone who probably won't major in astronomy but just wants to go out of the box a little? Also, any info on Prof. J. Lloyd would be great (couldn't find him on ratemyprof lol)</p>
<p>Weaksauce. Take 2211 like all other brave men and women.</p>
<p>Take the lab if you’re interested in going a little more indepth. Otherwise, it’s a waste of time.</p>
<p>lol, no thanks. I’m not looking to major in the sciences, let alone engineering. Just satisfying some curiosity here and going out of my comfort zone. :)</p>
<p>103 is 4 cr of A and 101 is 3 cr of A</p>
<p>The only advantage to taking the lab is that it gets you one more credit. I took both Astro 1101 and Astro 1102 (the other intro Astro course offered in the Spring) and didn’t feel at a disadvantage because I didn’t do the labs. From what I can tell, the labs are just hands-on activities related to the ideas presented in lecture. That being said, the labs don’t seem hard, so if you want one more credit, you might as well take 1103.</p>
<p>As for Prof. James Lloyd, he’s an interesting character. His tests and lectures were clear, and if you actually read the material that’s assigned (or at least the lecture notes), you should do fine. His personality is a little off-putting, but it doesn’t matter that much since it’s a huge lecture class and you’ll probably never personally speak to the guy. Oh, and he’s Australian. </p>
<p>If you like Astro 1101, I’d recommend taking 1102 in the Spring for your other PBS credit. After taking 1101 it should be easy, and one of the profs, Steve Squyres, is a really cool guy; he’s in charge of the Mars Rover mission.</p>
<p>Thanks so much for your input, cornellstudent11!! I’m still going back and forth between astro 1101 (probably no lab…I’m not desperate for one more credit and it’s good to know that you didn’t feel like you were at a disadvantage without it) and bio 1109 (intro to bio for non-majors). But I hadn’t heard much about astro 1101 before (or anything about prof. lloyd for that matter), so I really appreciate it :)</p>
<p>I just took astro 1101 its for sure a chill class. Attendance is kind of enforced through the Iclicker which you use to answer questions on his powerpoints midclass. But i didnt go to a large percent of the classes and never read before lecture and mangaged a B+ partying five nights a weeks so if you think you can handle the 1103 or like astro go for it otherwise its cruising</p>
<p>Thanks cpl27! I ended up opting for Astro 1101, and then going for Psych 1101 and 1103 (optional seminar). I might change my mind during add/drop, but we’ll see 
I’m definitely not a science person so I’m glad astro isn’t too hardcore lol.</p>