PHIL 201Philosophy of Sex and Love
- 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 taking this course will learn to engage with a variety of important and puzzling issues related to sex and love. They will read philosophical texts that grapple with issues such as what it means to sexually objectify someone, what a sexual orientation is, the ethics of sex work, the nature of love and friendship, the value (or disvalue) of marriage/monogamy, and others still. Students will develop and refine their understanding of these issues by engaging critically with a variety of points of view concerning them. Through this process, students will gain useful tools for reflecting carefully and critically on some of the most important issues in many people’s lives - those relating to sex and love - and they will have the opportunity to apply these tools in written work.
Prerequisites
None listed.
Antirequisites
None listed.
Leads to
No course lists it as a requisite.
Winter 2027 sections
| Section | Class | Enrolled | Meets |
|---|---|---|---|
| LEC 081 | 3863 | 0 / 45 | Online or by arrangement |
| LEC 701 | 1492 | 38 / 9999 | Online or by arrangement |
Reviewed on UW Flow
53% liked it57% easy55% useful
From 15 ratings and 3 comments on UW Flow. The most helpful comments, quoted as written, without names. Read them all on UW Flow.
I dropped it eventually. Essay was about the thoughts of what two professors think. So relevant.
May 2025 · didn’t like it · 2 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this
Pretty cool class, took this in S24. It makes you think about a lot of aspects of sex, love, and lust from a new perspective. A lot of reading and writing, but overall enjoyable course.
Dec 2025 · liked itOn UW FlowRemove this
The TA was a hard marker.
Aug 2025 · didn’t like itOn UW FlowRemove this
Discussed on r/uwaterloo
9 posts and comments in 9 threads mention PHIL 201, March 2014 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.
Winter 2024
Online Bird Courses 1 point, 0 comments
u/hushwoozi: “this might be little late but phil 201 is super manageable imo, it's only 2 essay assignments, a midterm and a final essay! …”
Spring 2023
Help picking courses for final study term ( should I take CS 480 or CS 496 or both)? 3 points, 3 comments
u/AtSea62: “… PHIL 201 (Philosophy of sex and love) 7. CS 458 I need to pick 4 from these and am leaning towards taking CS 484, CS 451, Psych 226R, and one of CS 486 or CS 480 but I can't tell the difference between the two. …”
Spring 2022
WD deadline is the next Tuesday and should I drop my elective? 3 points, 7 comments
“Title. I'm a 4A Actsc/Stat student, taking 5 courses this term (4 faculty and 1 PHIL elective) and am on the edge of giving up school. …”
u/granitepunch: “Is this Phil145”
u/WaferRevolutionary63: “phil201”
A GUIDE ON HOW TO PLAN AN OPTION 29 points, 15 comments
u/1000Ditto: “… List A online without prereqs: soc 101, phil 145, phil 201, phil 202, phil 215, phil 221, phil 324, pacs 201, pacs 202, pacs 203, gsj 222, geog 207 \[ GEOG 207 is the online one only one offered online on list A eng\] List C online without prereqs: The list is huge but includes …”
Winter 2019
Any one taken a philosophy minor before 3 points, 6 comments
u/katsukichan: “… fit into my schedule from them (list sorted according to my interest, descending) &x200B; PHIL 201: Philosophy of Sex and Love &x200B; PHIL 202: Gender Issues &x200B; PHIL 207J: Philosophy and J.R.R. …”
Fall 2017
Any way to disable UWCourseLinker from posting? 16 points, 26 comments
“posting a reply to my comment I find the bot annoying.”
u/Jackhofmann: “PSYCH 483 PSYCH 484 PSYCH 485 PSYCH 486 PSYCH 490R PSYCH 499A PSYCH 499B PSYCH 499C PSYCH 621 PSYCH 630 PSYCH 677A PSYCH 704A PSYCH 704B PSYCH 707 PSYCH 710 PSYCH 714 PSYCH 717 PSYCH 720A PSYCH 721A …”
u/Jackhofmann: “… 608A PHARM 610 PHARM 611 PHARM 616 PHIL 100J PHIL 101 PHIL 110A PHIL 120J PHIL 121 PHIL 145 PHIL 201 PHIL 201W PHIL 202 PHIL 209W PHIL 215 PHIL 216 PHIL 220J PHIL 221 PHIL 226 PHIL 240 PHIL 247W PHIL 251 PHIL 256 PHIL 258 PHIL 265 PHIL 283 PHIL 284 PHIL 319J PHIL 320 PHIL 327 …”
Fall 2016
How is PHIL 201 - Philosophy of Sex and Love? 0 points, 0 comments
u/MrPaninosSr: “I need a gf. I think this course might help. Anyone taken it before? Would you recommend? Did you find an SO right after the final exam?”
Spring 2015
An elective that requires writing essays as part of the course 7 points, 11 comments
“Hi everyone, I avoided writing essays for as long as I remember, and now I am an adult who writes like a five year old. …”
u/annihilatron: “Religion courses and some Philosophy courses will requires 1-3 essays through the term. Brush up your 5-paragraph essay style and gives you some practice with it. I took RS121, RS180, PHIL201. As always, review the syllabus and see where the marks come from.”
Winter 2014
What is the easiest online elective ? 0 points, 11 comments
“I plan to take an elective online during this spring term. I am in math , what would be a easy mark booster with little work required”
u/annihilatron: “The ones I took: PHIL201 - Love (Philosophy) RS121 - Evil (Religious views) RS180 - Love (Religious views + Philosophy)”
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