Courses for your Sexuality, Marriage and Family Studies degree

First-year courses

As an Arts student, you’ll choose your major at the end of first year. You’re encouraged to explore a second major in first year to discover potential new interests.

In your Arts First courses, instead of going to a lecture hall, you and your classmates will work together to respond to an intriguing challenge. With only 25 students in each of the two first-year courses, you might address topics such as The Science of Happiness, Are We Erasing History?, Games and Culture, and Writing About Poems and Songs.

You can choose to study Sexuality, Marriage and Family Studies through Honours Arts or Honours Arts and Business.


Honours Arts

September to December

  • SMF 101 – Introduction to Relationships and Families
  • Arts First requirement 1
  • Prospective major #2
  • Two electives

January to April

  • SMF 204 – Introduction to Human Sexuality
  • Arts First requirement 2
  • Prospective major #2
  • Two electives
 

This is a sample schedule. Courses or when a course is offered may change depending on availability


Honours Arts and Business

September to December

  • ARBUS 101 – Introduction to Business in North America
  • ECON 101 – Introduction to Microeconomics
  • Arts First Requirement 1
  • SMF 101 – Introduction to Relationships and Families
  • Prospective major #2

January to April

  • ARBUS 102 – Accounting Information for Managers
  • ARBUS 202 – Professional and Business Ethics
  • Arts First Requirement 2
  • SMF 204 – Introduction to Human Sexuality
  • Prospective major #2
 

This is a sample schedule. Courses or when a course is offered may change depending on availability.


After first year

40% of the classes you’ll take will be Sexuality, Marriage and Family Studies courses. With your remaining classes, you can choose electives from many of the 100 subject areas at Waterloo.

Sample upper-year courses

SMF 207 – Parents, Children, and Family Relations
SMF 211 – Dynamics of Dating
SMF 215 – Sexuality and Popular Culture
SMF 310 – Sexual and Relational Ethics

 

Advisors are here to help

With so much flexibility, you might have a lot of questions. We're here to help! If you're applying for admission, contact our Faculty of Arts recruitment team.

Once you're a Waterloo student, you'll have access to academic advisors who can help you

  • choose your courses,
  • select minors and specializations,
  • ensure that you're meeting the requirements for your degree, and more.


Learn more

Overview of Waterloo's Sexuality, Marriage and Family Studies program.