40 undergraduate courses in the 2026–27 Undergraduate Calendar.
SRF 101Introduction to Sexualities, Relationships, and Families0.50 units
This course introduces students to the study of sexualities, relationships, and families from an interdisciplinary perspective. Students will develop a greater awareness and understanding about healthy relationships that are inclusive of diversity. This course addresses relational violence.
SRF 111Women, Sex, Marriage, and Family Traditions in Italy0.50 units
This course explores the contributions of Italian women artists, writers, and intellectuals from the Medieval through the Renaissance and Baroque periods. Students will learn about sexual culture, the institution of marriage, the role of the family, and gender roles as portrayed in the works of Italian women from these periods. Students will also assess and compare ideas across these time periods and become aware of the implications of studying these topics in the context of nationality.
SRF 112Women, Sexual Identities, and Relationships in Italy0.50 units
This course explores the contributions of Italian women artists, writers, and intellectuals from the Enlightenment until contemporary times. Students will assess critically key themes in Italian women’s expression of sexual identities, the nature of relationships, and the influence of family ties as portrayed in Italian literature, art, and philosophy from these periods. Students will become familiar with concepts that mark the development of the Italian female imagery from the 18th to the 21st century.
SRF 204Introduction to Human Sexualities0.50 units
This course provides an interdisciplinary overview of theories and research on human sexualities. Students will explore and deepen their understanding of human sexuality as a complex, diverse, multidimensional, and multilevel domain of life. Students will also learn to critically reflect upon their own understandings and commonly held discourses on human sexualities.
Antirequisites
Not completed nor concurrently enrolled in any of the following:
PSYCH236 - A Psychological Analysis of Human Sexuality (0.50)
SRF 205The Dark Side of Sex and Sexualities0.50 units
Students will engage in the theoretical and empirical examinations of contentious and controversial topics associated with human sexuality. Students may critically examine topics such as sex work, pornography, sexual violence and abuse, incest, compulsive sexual behaviour, and paraphilias.
Prerequisites
Complete 1 of the following
Must have completed at least 1 of the following:
PSYCH236 - A Psychological Analysis of Human Sexuality (0.50)
This course introduces students to parent-child/caregiver-child relationships from a broad interdisciplinary perspective over the lifespan. Students will critically examine topics such as the transition to parenthood, parenting practices and their intersection with child/adult development, social and cultural influences on families with children, gender variance/fluidity and family relationships, and family life challenges.
Prerequisites
Complete 1 of the following
Must have completed the following:
SRF101 - Introduction to Sexualities, Relationships, and Families (0.50)
SRF 208Introduction to Systemic Therapies and Anti-Oppressive Practices0.50 units
In this course students are introduced to an overview of systemic theoretical and therapeutic practices in relational and sex therapy that apply social justice, anti-oppressive, and inclusionary practices. Students will consider and critically analyze the intersections of social locations such as class, culture, ability/disability, gender, and race within various social contexts. Student learning culminates in the design and presentation of an interactive exhibit project.
Prerequisites
Complete all of the following
Complete 1 of the following
Must have completed the following:
SRF101 - Introduction to Sexualities, Relationships, and Families (0.50)
This course facilitates students’ knowledge and understanding of the dynamics of intimate relationships in the context of the modern, Western social construct of dating. Topics explored may include digital communications and technology, hook-up culture, long-distance relationships, online dating, polyamorous relationships, and the role of pop culture in dating attitudes and beliefs. Through a variety of assignments and assessments, students will develop a greater awareness of diverse dating processes and structures and critically reflect on their own perspectives about dating.
SRF 212Sexualities and Relationships in Mid/Later Life0.50 units
This course will introduce students to the complexities, tribulations, and joys of navigating sexuality and relationships as humans age. Topics may include physical/biological changes, navigating dementia, youth-focused culture, relationship dissolution and relationship anew, death of partners, family and friends, the menopausal transition, and ageism. Through this course students will increase their understanding of how sexuality and relationships change, grow, and remain the same as people age, and how age intersects with such things as race, gender, sexual orientation, ability/disability, culture, socioeconomic status, and societal expectations, allowing reflection on their own bias, experience, and aging scripts.
This course provides students an interdisciplinary overview of sexual health and well-being from a theoretical and practical framework. It unpacks the potential role individuals, communities, and institutions have in defining, preventing, and developing sexual health. Topics may include menstrual equity, STIs and safer sex, chronic and long-term illnesses, 2SLGBTQIA+ sexual health, birth control, and pleasure as health. Students will learn to recognize and challenge potentially harmful normative scripts regarding sexual health and well-being, as well as be given the opportunity to reflect on their own experiences, education, beliefs, and biases in relation to the various dimensions of sexual health.
This course examines the social construction of the erotic, in particular how culture, politics, religion, literature, economics, medicine, or technology interact to regulate the definition and performance of sexuality across cultures. Topics may include the sexual body (e.g., beauty and desire), the regulation of sex (e.g., taboos, laws, religion), and other cultural constructions of sexuality (e.g., sexual education).
Students will examine and explore how sex and sexualities are depicted in, shaped by, and contested in popular culture. Students will be introduced to theories in the study of popular culture and sexualities through a range of historical and contemporary texts and practices. Students will be encouraged to recognize and critically reflect on the extent to which human sexualities are complex, intersectional, and multidimensional domains of everyday life as they appear in popular culture forms and how the limits of those forms may shape social understanding of human sexuality.
This course provides a theoretical and empirical examination of the pleasurable and recreational aspects of human sexuality. Students will learn about psychological, interpersonal, and sociocultural processes related to discourses, practices, and experiences of sexual pleasure. Students will also learn to critically reflect on various popular and scientific perspectives related to sexual pleasure. Topics may include sexual satisfaction, optimal sexuality, passion, fantasies, eroticism, embodiment, sexual devices and technologies, sexual techniques, BDSM, and sexual role-playing.
SRF 218Sexual Health and Well-Being in Comics0.50 units
This course will present a concentrated history of the major trends and patterns within the representation of human sexuality and sexual health in 20th- and 21st-century comics art. Students will be introduced to the unique and powerful role that comics have played in representing sexuality and sexual well-being through exposure to various artists and scholars on the subject. Students will explore key concepts through close readings of relevant texts, and through the application of key theoretical materials, modelling the kind of analytical work that students will then produce themselves in both discussion and written assignments.
This course provides an interdisciplinary overview of the philosophical, theoretical, and practical foundations of research methods used in the social sciences and humanities to study sexualities, relationships, and families. Students will learn about both qualitative and quantitative methods, the role of theory in research, and ethical issues pertaining to research. Students will acquire foundational skills for constructing research proposals and becoming critical consumers of research.
Prerequisites
Complete 1 of the following
Must have completed at least 1 of the following:
PSYCH236 - A Psychological Analysis of Human Sexuality (0.50)
SRF101 - Introduction to Sexualities, Relationships, and Families (0.50)
This course introduces the basics of statistics commonly used in the social sciences for the study of sexualities, relationships, and families. Students will learn about the fundamental components, logic, execution, current debates, and best practices related to basic descriptive and inferential statistics. They will learn to read, understand, and interpret statistics, as well as become critical consumers of statistics. They will develop the skills to conduct quantitative analyses using statistical software and write a quantitative research paper.
Prerequisites
Complete 1 of the following
Must have completed at least 1 of the following:
PSYCH236 - A Psychological Analysis of Human Sexuality (0.50)
SRF101 - Introduction to Sexualities, Relationships, and Families (0.50)
SRF 241Caregiving, Illness, and Relationships0.50 units
In the typical health care model most of the attention is focused on the patient and their well-being, often ignoring the health, financial, and emotional impact on those who provide unpaid informal care and support - family and friends. Through the reading of memoirs, students with an interest in aging, health care, and the therapeutic professions will grapple with the profound impact that caregiving during illness has on carers and relationships across the spectrum - from young carers, to intimate partners, to adult children caring for aging parents, and beyond. Discussions will be grounded in the social, legal, and policy contexts.
There is a persistent tension in our society about where the responsibility for children lies: with the family or the society. This course examines various topics in Canadian social and family policy that affect children's development and family well-being. Topics may include the legislative provisions in areas such as parenting supports, income security, family law, youth justice, caregiving, and the distinct framework for Indigenous families. Students will use foundational concepts and theories to examine the strengths and limitations of policy to address the needs of families.
SRF 301Communication and Counselling Skills0.50 units
This course introduces students to the theories and methods of communication as applied to processes of individual, relational, and family consultation and counselling. Through functional experiential activities and written reflections, students will apply course concepts and examine their own thoughts, beliefs, and positionings as they develop and strengthen their communication skills. Through application-based course assignments, students will deepen their understanding of intersectional, anti-oppressive frameworks and apply them to active listening and intentional interviewing across human service contexts and relationships.
Prerequisites
Complete all of the following
Complete 1 of the following
Must have completed at least 1 of the following:
PSYCH236 - A Psychological Analysis of Human Sexuality (0.50)
SRF101 - Introduction to Sexualities, Relationships, and Families (0.50)
This course examines the development and experience of sexuality in a relational context from infancy to old age. Emphasis will be placed on sexual interaction and communication in adult relationships, but the effects of relationships on sexual experiences during infancy, childhood, adolescence, and old age may also be examined.
Prerequisites
Complete all of the following
Complete 1 of the following
Must have completed at least 1 of the following:
PSYCH236 - A Psychological Analysis of Human Sexuality (0.50)
SRF 305Social Issues and Controversies in Human Sexuality0.50 units
This course will provide students with an examination of selected issues and controversies in human sexualities, providing an interdisciplinary, learner-centered perspective drawing on family studies, psychology, sociology, feminism, critical scholarship, and more. Through this course students will increase their understanding of the historical, biological, social, political, religious, and cultural forces that shape human sexualities across the lifespan. Students will practice critical thinking and self-reflective skills in the analysis of issues and controversies in the field of human sexuality.
Prerequisites
Complete all of the following
Complete 1 of the following
Must have completed at least 1 of the following:
PSYCH236 - A Psychological Analysis of Human Sexuality (0.50)
Students will examine theories and research to understand the dynamics of interpersonal and intimate relationships. Through examining topics such as attraction, commitment, love, trust, communication, and dissolution, students will expand and deepen their understanding of various theoretical and empirical perspectives about relationships. Students will continue to develop and build on their oral and written capacities to bridge the gap between research, theory, and praxis in understanding and articulating the implications for intimate relationships.
Families and close relationships are among the most important and valued human experiences, but they can also be the source of much conflict and pain. Students will build their knowledge as they consider the role that conflict plays in close relationships, with a focus on topics such as family of origin, emotions, power, third-party interventions, breakdown of relationships, conflict styles, and conflict resolution.
In this course students will learn and engage with modern and postmodern therapeutic approaches to working clinically within relational contexts (e.g., family, romantic, other relationship configurations). This course emphasizes systemic thinking, cultural sensitivity, social justice, and anti-oppressive practices in therapeutic settings. Through experiential assignments/activities students will apply theory to practice and explore ethical implications associated with doing clinical work.
Prerequisites
Complete all of the following
Complete 1 of the following
Must have completed the following:
SRF208 - Introduction to Systemic Therapies and Anti-Oppressive Practices (0.50)
This course will give students the opportunity to critically integrate various therapeutic approaches and clinical issues when working with sexuality-related concerns. Research and theoretical issues in the field of sex therapy will be discussed and applied to clinical contexts. The applied focus enables students to connect clinical theory and ethical issues to practice.
Prerequisites
Complete all of the following
Complete 1 of the following
Must have completed the following:
SRF208 - Introduction to Systemic Therapies and Anti-Oppressive Practices (0.50)
This course provides an interdisciplinary overview of ethics and its applications to sexualities and relationships. Students will learn about basic ethical theories, concepts, issues, and reasoning skills. Students will learn how to apply ethical principles to critically analyze difficult life situations and controversial social issues. Students will learn to engage in and cultivate constructive arguments and discussions on ethical matters.
Prerequisites
Complete all of the following
Complete 1 of the following
Must have completed the following:
SRF101 - Introduction to Sexualities, Relationships, and Families (0.50)
SRF 317History of Sexuality: The Pre-Modern Period0.50 units
This course introduces students to the history of Western sexuality, beginning with the ancient world and focusing primarily on the Middle Ages and the transition to modernity.
Relationship breakdown is a social phenomenon that can have legal consequences. This course provides students with a socio-legal foundation in current family law. Topics may include the court system, the litigation process, property division, spousal and child support, child co-parenting, child protection, high conflict families, and alternative dispute resolution processes. Students will learn about the strengths and limitation of the law to address relationship breakdown and develop transferable skills for careers in policy, social work, mediation, family justice, education, and community service organizations.
Prerequisites
Complete all of the following
Earned at least 0.50 units from LS or SRF 200 - 299
SRF 365Special Topics in Human Sexualities0.50 units
A specialized course in topics related to human sexualities. Topics cover the application of theory and research in any area related to human sexualities.
Prerequisites
Complete all of the following
Complete 1 of the following
Must have completed at least 1 of the following:
PSYCH236 - A Psychological Analysis of Human Sexuality (0.50)
This seminar, taken in students’ final Sexualities, Relationships, and Families winter term, invites students to integrate their knowledge in the domains of sexualities, relationships, and families and make connections across academic, experiential, and personal learning throughout their undergraduate education. Students will critically reflect on their learning experiences and how they will apply these to their future endeavours. Students will process their learning through a variety of possible methods, such as reflective writing, presentations, and contributions to a capstone class project.
SRF 404Independent Study in Sexualities, Relationships, and/or Families0.50 units
Students will develop and write an in-depth study proposal and/or literature review based on empirical research and an extensive reading of a topic in the area of sexualities, relationships, and/or families. Students are generally expected to give a presentation on their project. The project must be approved by the academic supervisor of the course prior to enrolment.
SRF 490Practicum and Professional Ethics0.75 units
In this course students undertake an unpaid apprenticeship in a human services setting. This practicum field placement is complemented by regular seminar meetings to support and assess student learning. The practicum field placement requires 15 hours per week for eight months (fall and winter terms). Through the practicum experience students learn to integrate and apply their undergraduate Sexualities, Relationships, and Families education and bridge theory, research, and praxis.
SRF 490 and SRF 491 can be taken independently of the SRF Human Services Practicum Specialization.
The practicum placement component of SRF 490 is an eight-month commitment and continues into SRF 491; the two courses must be taken in consecutive terms.
Paid or volunteer positions that are obtained outside the context of this course are not eligible for credit in this course.
This course is the continuation of the SRF 490 practicum field placement along with weekly seminar meetings that focus on integration of theory, practice, and praxis.
SRF 490 and SRF 491 can be taken independently of the SRF Human Services Practicum Specialization.
The practicum placement component of SRF 491 is a continuation of the placement begun in SRF 490; the two courses must be taken in consecutive terms.
This senior level seminar allows students to further explore, deepen, and integrate their knowledge in the study of sexualities. Students will engage in critical analysis through discussions, presentations, and/or written assignments. Topics reflect current issues from a theoretical and research perspective.
This senior level seminar allows students to further explore, deepen, and integrate their knowledge in the domains of relationships and families. Students will engage in critical analysis through discussions, presentations, and written assignments. Topics reflect current issues from a theoretical and research perspective.
Under supervision of a faculty member, students normally will review literature, design a study, present a research proposal, analyze data, write a scholarly research paper, and deliver an oral presentation based on the paper (e.g., at the SRF Research Symposium).
SRF 499A and SRF 499B can be taken independently of the SRF Intensive Research Specialization.
A numeric grade for SRF 499A will be submitted only after completion of SRF 499B.
SRF 499A and 499B must be taken in consecutive terms.