PHIL 101Challenging Ideas: An Introduction to Philosophy
- Units
- 0.50
- Faculty
- Arts
- Subject
- Philosophy
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.
Students will examine influential questions in philosophy, with an aim to think more clearly about our understanding of the world and our place in it. Students will develop skills in philosophical reading, thinking, discussion, and writing. Questions students might grapple with may include: Do we have free will? Is the mind just the brain? Should we be moral? What can we know? Does science describe the world as it really is?
Prerequisites
None listed.
Antirequisites
Leads to
No course lists it as a requisite.
Fall 2026 sections
| Section | Class | Enrolled | Meets |
|---|---|---|---|
| LEC 001 | 3487 | 80 / 85 | MW 16:00–17:20 |
Winter 2027 sections
| Section | Class | Enrolled | Meets |
|---|---|---|---|
| LEC 001 | 3387 | 0 / 100 | MW 16:00–17:20 |
| LEC 701 | 1290 | 42 / 9999 | Online or by arrangement |
Reviewed on UW Flow
71% liked it52% easy58% useful
From 45 ratings and 16 comments on UW Flow. The most helpful comments, quoted as written, without names. Read them all on UW Flow.
Interesting and compelling. The lectures pushed my knowledge and I the course overall was well structured. I really liked Carla Fehr's teaching style. Note that she always uses her dogs in slideshows and such. Easy 100 if you show up to all the lectures.
Dec 2025 · liked it · 1 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this
Pretty accurate of an introductory course to philosophy.
Apr 2023 · liked it · 1 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this
passionate prof, pretty interesting course, readings are really hard to read cause they're all written in like 2 AD and use the most flowery language known to man. otherwise, really like how the course sections are laid out like stories, at least with the prof I had. very lenient assessments, just know your stuff and you'll do fine
Aug 2022 · liked it · 1 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this
I took it thinking it would be interesting and fun but it was very hard for me to grasp simple concepts. It is not a bird course.
Nov 2020 · didn’t like it · 1 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this
Took this W25 with Professor Kyle (Kenneth James) Adams. He's the goat, really engaging, cares for his students. Course content is interesting, basically talking about what is reality and should we be sceptic about it? Also discusses many famous philosophers and what they stood for. Heavier workload than Phil145, but still a cool course.
Dec 2025 · liked itOn UW FlowRemove this
Discussed on r/uwaterloo
56 posts and comments in 43 threads mention PHIL 101, October 2011 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 2024
Question about 1A Math Courses. 3 points, 4 comments
“Incoming freshman at University of Waterloo for CS. A couple of questions about the math courses. Do we need to take both the advanced courses, Advanced Algebra (MATH 145) and Calculus (MATH 147), or …”
u/Ylvy_reddit: “… In my case I took PHIL 101 and enjoyed it.”
Winter 2024
Declaring major/minor 6 points, 3 comments
u/Electronic-South5689: “… I’ve never taken a history course and I’ve only taken PHIL 101 (I’m a 1B student). Would I have to take courses over the summer for either of them if I wanna minor in them? …”
How difficult are philosophy courses really? 17 points, 6 comments
“I’m suuuuuuuuper interested in the subject (especially that of metaphysics and existentialism) but I’m not a very strong writer. …”
u/Negative-Problem8824: “… i took phil 101 in first year and the grade breakdown was four take-home written tests each worth 25%. …”
Spring 2023
Thoughts on PHIL 101, 101A, 145? 2 points, 4 comments
u/caveebat: “Hi, I'm debating which philosophy course to choose as an elective first year. I'm debating between PHIL 101, 101A, or 145. Has anyone had experience with these courses, and how was the workload/profs/etc? any input helps!”
u/Number-unknow: “I don't take philosophy classes but check the uw flow page for each. You will find more insights there. (Some of them changed code, so refer to the title) : \- https://uwflow.com/course/phil100 \- https://uwflow.com/course/phil101 \- https://uwflow.com/course/phil145”
First year course selection (Poli sci/Phil) 1 point, 2 comments
u/Fuzzy_Inevitable_762: “… I know I have to take one of these philosophy courses: PHIL 101 or PHIL 110A PHIL 121 PHIL 145 Please recommend me which course I should take, I'm leaning towards phil 145, however im not entirely sure, for poli sci I have to take PSCI 100, and for both courses I have to take …”
Winter 2023
PHIL 101 with Fehr 1 point, 1 comment
u/Jealous_Active_6362: “Thoughts on PHIL101 with Carla Fehr? What is the level of difficulty? Is it a bird course? Im looking to get a 80+ in this course with reasonable effort. Of course, not looking for free marks, just trying to get a sense of the course before I take it. …”
Fall 2022
CS467 5 points, 4 comments
“How is the course? Anyone taken it recently? Is it challenging for someone who hasnt touched physics above say a phy121 level? …”
u/mega-blight: “… If i dont take this, I will take a bird course(or something like PHIL 101) instead since no other course of interest to me is offered. …”
Philosophy 3 points, 6 comments
“How challenging are the philosophy courses? As its mostly subjective marking of essays, is it still possible to get good marks?”
u/Ylvy_reddit: “I just finished PHIL 101 (with Nicholas Ray) and didn't find it too challenging. The essay marking was pretty fair to me, and otherwise the only graded things were the multiple choice quizzes we had every other week. …”
Spring 2022
waterloo courses 4 points, 5 comments
“Any1 recommend bird courses for first year science students. Something easier and with easier courses material?”
u/FloventAddict: “PHIL 101 or 145 are both birds. Also all the 100 lvl bio courses if u wanna stay with science”
Can’t decide between Phil 101 and Phil 110A for my fall 1A term 3 points, 3 comments
u/Coffwee_7: “At first I was set on Phil 101, but after looking on UW flow, I saw that there are better reviews for Phil 110A than Phil 101 (77% liked compared to 55%). …”
u/batson2002: “Phil110a is a better course, the content of phil101 is kinda boring ngl But honestly just take what you think you’ll like more. Most people seem to start with phil145 instead of 101 anyway so take what you want from that”
Is it better to take Phil 101 or 110A before taking Phil 145 or does it not matter? 3 points, 6 comments
u/Coffwee_7: “… I really want to take Phil 145 (Critical Thinking sounds like a cool topic), but I’m kinda wondering if it would be better if I took something like Phil 101 or 110A in the fall term first because Phil 145 seems more specialized. …”
Phil 101 0 points, 11 comments
u/Suitable_Address_546: “Just wondering if this course is a bird course or not. I am currently taking it with Prof. Greg Andres and the grade breakdown is something like 20% participation, and the rest divided on 3 papers that you have to write. Would love to hear any and all thoughts”
u/whelp_okay: “Greg's a pretty fun and friendly prof -- so long as you show up and submit something, you will pass. You may not get super high marks (I feel like most students end up in the '80s), but he's a pretty …”
u/Suitable_Address_546: “That's one of the reasons I really wanted to take PHIL 101. Thats why I kinda want to stay in the course lol. Thanks for all your advice it really does help :)”
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