LS 202Criminal Law
- Units
- 0.50
- Faculty
- Arts
- Subject
- Legal Studies
When it runs
- F24
- W25
- S25
- F25
- W26
- S26
- F26
- W27
- S27
Ran in 5 of the last 7 terms. Winter 2027: scheduled, 2 lecture sections. Spring 2027: schedule not out yet.
A case-study approach to the study of criminal law in Canada with a focus on basic concepts and core principles relating to legal judgements along with comparative examination between civil and criminal law and attention to legal theory.
Prerequisites
- Must have completed the following:
- LS101 - Introduction to Legal Studies (0.50)
Antirequisites
None listed.
Leads to
No course lists it as a requisite.
Fall 2026 sections
| Section | Class | Enrolled | Meets |
|---|---|---|---|
| LEC 001 | 4068 | 65 / 200 | TTh 10:00–11:20 |
Winter 2027 sections
| Section | Class | Enrolled | Meets |
|---|---|---|---|
| LEC 001 | 3169 | 0 / 200 | MW 11:30–12:50 |
| LEC 701 | 1197 | 96 / 9999 | Online or by arrangement |
Reviewed on UW Flow
69% liked it57% easy85% useful
From 54 ratings and 18 comments on UW Flow. The most helpful comments, quoted as written, without names. Read them all on UW Flow.
This course is meant to be a bird course but unfortunately, the professor gives students low 80s and makes the TAs mark assignments in low 80s. I LOVED the content, I will be applying it all in the future but despite working incredibly hard; I still ended up with a low 80 mark. I think of this course as enemies to lovers... you will love this course because of the content, and discussions but hate it passionately as well because you quite literally will not receive 60% worth of your final grades!!!! (participation, final paper and final exam). Brabazon stated that "this course is extremely hard" however it is not the course that is hard but the harsh markings, unorganized marks and lack of…
Apr 2022 · liked it · 1 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this
I had a great experience, likely in part because I really like the teaching and assessment style of Dr. Leroux! Would recommend
Jan 2026 · liked itOn UW FlowRemove this
A fantastic course with Tony, concepts are simple but many. If you don't go to class you won't do well, if you do go and study well a 90+ is achievable.
Dec 2025 · liked itOn UW FlowRemove this
Had McKinnon, Overall the course is very informative but he only started posting lecture slides about half way through the course. The content and quizzes tend to be fairly challenging.
Dec 2025 · liked itOn UW FlowRemove this
Teaches some fundamentals of criminal law. Slides are disorganized and lectures seem random. Could definitely have been an online course
Dec 2025 · didn’t like itOn UW FlowRemove this
Discussed on r/uwaterloo
8 posts and comments in 7 threads mention LS 202, March 2016 to December 2024. Quoted word for word, newest first; each reply sits under the post and the comment that started its branch. Search r/uwaterloo for newer posts.
Spring 2022
Need to Drop one of my LS courses - which is the hardest? 1 point, 2 comments
u/Qwert4554: “I need to drop one of my LS courses so I can make room for a mandatory course. Which of the following is the hardest course? LS 202 LS 227 LS 229”
LS 202 or History for eng CSE? 3 points, 6 comments
u/troviinstaller: “if anyone's taken LS 202 Criminal Law or a history course (looking at HIST 257 or something for now), what was the workload like? I know mythology and music are the generic CSEs but if you have any other courses you enjoyed/ were not too hard drop em below plz!”
u/NegotiationAncient77: “202 was the heaviest course I ever took. hist 257 was one of the easiest, most fun and most straightforward.”
u/NegotiationAncient77: “… I do have my old one from LS202 if you're curious, though it's from 2018.”
Fall 2018
Has anyone taken Anna Purkey's LS 202 course? 3 points, 1 comment
Winter 2018
LS 202: notes from 1/22/17 1 point, 1 comment
u/cheddarlips: “I'm in carlies class and missed class today, can anyone bless me with notes since she doesn't post :( please PM i will love you forever and always”
Winter 2017
Missed my exam, what will happen? 8 points, 25 comments
“Thought my exam was at 4 but it turns out it was at 9. Already talked to my prof and she said she'd have to talk to Admin as to what is normally done in cases like these. …”
u/drunkensweetpotato: “Sounds like you missed LS 202.”
Is Sociology a good Major for law school? 2 points, 12 comments
“I am currently double-majoring in LS and Soc and want to go to law school but I read that an LS major may not be good to have so I was thinking of just doing soc and maybe a minor is sds. …”
u/Fishing-Bear: “As others have pointed out, GPA should be your primary focus. A lot of students think that LS will prepare them for law school; it will not. …”
u/Fishing-Bear: “IIRC, LS 202 (out of St.Jerome's) might offer what you're looking for. It deviates from the standard Legal Studies framework and looks more specifically at the intricacies of criminal law. …”
Winter 2016
Who is Planning Law School? 2 points, 17 comments
“What program are you in, did you choose your program so you'd have a higher average or because you like it? What GPA do you have right now, what GPA are you aiming for? …”
u/TheZarosian: “… I found out that Legal Studies didn't have Co-op as an option in Honours Arts, so I chose not to do a LS major although I've taken LS 101 and LS 202, which I found to be relatively interesting. …”
Check it elsewhere for Fall 2026
- Undergraduate Calendar, 2026–27The official entry
- Requirements for Fall 2026Waterloo’s requisite checker
- Schedule of Classes, Fall 2026Instructors, rooms, live seats
- Quest Class SearchWhere you enrol
- Course outlinesSyllabi from past terms (UW login)
- UW FlowStudent ratings and reviews
- WClassesPast sections back to 2004, and who taught them