About This Course

Introduction to Ethics helps you think critically about right and wrong: major ethical theories, moral reasoning, and how those ideas apply to real situations—from justice and rights to business, healthcare, and public life.

StraighterLine’s PHIL102 follows a checkpoint structure from values and moral storytelling through relativism, egoism, utilitarianism, Kantian duty ethics, rights and justice, virtue traditions (including non-Western perspectives), feminist ethics, and applied topics such as abortion, euthanasia, media ethics, business ethics, war, animals, and environmental ethics. Assignments include benchmarks, capstones, and checkpoints; a passing score is typically 70% or higher.

General education & majors

Degree requirements differ by college and catalog year; always verify gen-ed rules and transfer credit with your advisor.

Often used toward humanities, philosophy, or values/ethics breadth. ACE-recommended credits transfer to many schools—always confirm with your registrar or advisor. Official syllabus: StraighterLine PHIL102 (PDF linked from the provider course page).

What You'll Learn

  • Demonstrate awareness of ethical thinking and recognize ethical questions in context.
  • Explain core philosophical doctrines and frameworks used in the study of ethics.
  • Meet academic standards for reading, writing, and argumentation in the humanities.
  • Participate thoughtfully in discussions of global citizenship and diverse moral traditions.
  • Compare global philosophical models and their implications for moral judgment.
  • Apply academic integrity standards to written work in philosophy and ethics.
  • Develop original ethical analyses that engage theories with real-world dilemmas.

About StraighterLine

StraighterLine offers self-paced, online courses with a subscription model plus per-course tuition. Credits are ACE-recommended; transfer policies depend on your college. Pricing and promotions change—confirm current details on the StraighterLine site.

Location Online
Format Self-paced
Visit course provider website →

Student Reviews & Ratings

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Recent Reviews

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Stefan Oganesian
Verified Enrollment
★★★★★

Great introductory course on Ethics

I am a community college student, and I took this class as a required elective for my Sociology major to expedite my transfer to Cal State Long Beach. The course was accepted as an accredited course, and that made my life so much easier. I was able to take this course online in parallel with other courses I was taking in class at my JC. I would recommend this course even to those who aren't majoring in humanities, simply because Ethics is a hot topic these days, from tech to humanities. I enjoyed the instruction quite a lot.

Took this course in January 2026