C3: Community, Covenant, Commitments
ACU's first-year introduction to who we are, how we live, and what we believe.
Course Description
LIA 101 is the on-ramp to life at Arizona Christian University. The course introduces new students to who ACU is, how the community lives together, and what the university believes — covering ACU's liberal arts philosophy and curriculum, its mission and vision, the community covenant, and the core commitments that shape everything else.
It's a course about orientation in the deepest sense: not just where the buildings are, but what kind of education students have signed up for and what kind of community they've joined. LIA 101 sets up LIA 102 Biblical Worldview and Culture, which builds on the foundations laid here.
Taught By
Offered 2026-2027: Fall 1 · 2026-2027: Fall Traditional · 2026-2027: Spring 1.
Adam Rasmussen, Ph.D.
Professor
2026-2027: Fall Traditional
Dina Lime
2026-2027: Fall Traditional
Gary Derbyshire
2026-2027: Fall Traditional
Jenifer Kohner, M.Ed.
Instructor
2026-2027: Fall Traditional
Joy Lies
2026-2027: Fall Traditional
Karen Dowe
2026-2027: Fall Traditional
Mark Balch
2026-2027: Fall Traditional
Rachel Williams
2026-2027: Fall Traditional
Susan Johnson, M.A.
Associate Professor
2026-2027: Fall 1 · 2026-2027: Spring 1
Prerequisites
- None
Corequisites
- None
Learning Outcomes
Understand ACU's Mission and Vision
Articulate what the university is for and how it pursues that calling.
Engage the Liberal Arts Curriculum
Understand the shape and rationale of ACU's liberal arts approach to learning.
Live the Community Covenant
Know the expectations and commitments students share as members of the ACU community.
Identify Core Commitments
Recognize the convictions that shape ACU's life and learning.
Begin College Life With Integrity
Connect first-year choices to the larger purposes of a college education.
Biblical Worldview Connection
LIA 101 is itself a Biblical Worldview course — it walks students through how a university shaped by biblical convictions actually works in practice. The community covenant, the core commitments, and the liberal arts philosophy aren't bureaucratic boxes; they're the shape of a particular kind of education.
Explore Programs With This Course
LIA 101 begins every ACU student's college experience. Explore the programs that include it.
