Learning Communities

Where Classroom meets Community

Faith, learning, and living. All are central to your education at Colorado Christian University. In fact, Learning Communities at CCU exist to help you integrate your personal faith with what you are learning in the classroom -- as well as to provide direction on how to live your life on campus.

The opportunity to live in a Learning Community is available to every first-year student at CCU. Students in a Learning Community live in apartments in the same campus stairwell and take the same First-Year Integration course designed to help them explore their community's purpose. This unique community-based learning approach helps students cultivate true community and learn how to "do life" together.

2013-14 Class Offerings

Giving God Your Best (INT101-01)
Stairwells: Men - Ghetto, Women - Boondocks

It's easy to slip through life without taking any risks—without making your life count. Regardless of your chosen field of study or career path, God wants you to commit your life to Him. Life ought not be wasted. You don't need to know a lot of things to make a lasting difference in the world, but you do have to know the few, great, unchanging, and glorious things that matter and be willing to live and to die for them. You might be asking, "What does God want me to do with my life, and how should I live?" This is a question that we all think through and act on in some capacity. This class will be a journey meant to direct you in that process. You'll be examining the lives of various people—some biblical, some historical, and some who have simply committed their lives to God and have been impacted by His leading. You'll also study how you can apply the same principles and examples to your life today.

Faith in Action (INT101-02)
Stairwells: Men - Basement, Women - Lighthouse

Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, if it’s you, tell me to come to you on the water.” This class will examine what it looks like to take a step forward in your faith. We will delve into three areas: what does it take to face your fears and choose to not allow fear have the last word, how to discover and embrace the unique calling of God in your life, and how to experience the power of God in your life to do something you would not be capable of doing on your own. Peter walked on water because he took the first step. Are you ready to get out of the boat and walk with Jesus?

Faith, Friends and Fitness in College (INT101-03)
Stairwells: Men - Basement, Women - Barracks

This course will explore three areas that play an important role towards the transition to college. Faith is essential to growing as a Christian, and many first year students are in the midst of developing their faith. This course will help explain the importance of faith, and give students the opportunity to grow personally. This course will also take a closer look at the roles that friendships play during the college experience. It is proven that a community of friends can help make the college experience successful both socially and academically. Finally, fitness is an area that a lot of first year students don’t think about, not only physical fitness, but also eating habits and taking care of the body. The goal of this course is to break down these three areas. This class is highly interactive.

YOLO? You Only Live Once (INT101-04)
Stairwells: Men - Junkyard, Women - Highlands

If it’s true you only live once, then don’t you want to take full advantage of the life you’ve been given? This course will assist you in exploring answers to life’s big questions, so that you can take advantage of the life YOLO.

Desiring God (INT101-05)
Stairwells: Men - Shelter, Women - Cornerstone

Do you desire to live freely and fully? Do you desire to pursue Jesus with reckless abandon? Do you desire to know what the gospel really means in all areas of life? Do you…Desire God? Even if you don’t this class is perfect for you. It’s surprisingly easy to “go with the flow” at a Christian university like this one without actually grasping the basic truths of Christianity. In this class we will explore what it means to pursue maximum joy in Jesus Christ and why our greatest happiness is found when we give Him the glory that he rightfully deserves. Our texts will be The Explicit Gospel by Matt Chandler and Desiring God by John Piper. If you are ready to dive in deep to practical Christianity and set a firm foundation for your spiritual life at CCU and beyond, then join us!

All Prodigal Sons and Daughters (INT101-06)
Stairwells: Men - Cockpit, Women - Treefort

You’re not perfect!...and that’s okay! Actually, that’s a huge part of what it means to be a child of God! The true Gospel allows us to acknowledge our brokenness, weakness, our propensity to sin and to receive the gift of grace from a strong, perfect and holy Savior as we continue to stumble and fumble to know and love our Heavenly Father better. So if you’re tired of trying to hold it all together so that people, especially Christians, don’t know what’s really going on, join us as we explore together the meaning of grace and how that impacts our honesty with ourselves, understanding of the love of God, vulnerability with each other and interactions with the world around us.

Personal Disciplines (INT101-07)
Stairwells: Men - Ghetto, Women - Boondocks

What shapes our everyday lives so that we are light to the world? In this FYI course, we’ll pursue a three areas that will provide a foundation towards personal discipline. One area will be in the development of goal setting and attainment through regular exercise where students will measure their progress toward reaching goals. Another area will be in the development of self-control and focus through training in Dutch-IndoChinese Martial arts on a weekly basis (taught by a Christian instructor). Yet another area will be in developing personal core values and vision for the future. All three areas will be critically evaluated through the vantage point of Christian conviction where students will develop what Augustine coined, an Order of Loves. This class will require students to go to an off campus site for class during the month of October (5 minute drive).

Posers, Fakers, and Wannabees (INT101-08)
Stairwells: Men - Junkyard, Women - Highlands

Tired of feeling like no one really knows you? When you look around, is all you see "fake" people? Do you yearn to connect with other people in way that you can feel safe enough to really be known for who you really are without being judged? This section of FYI is devoted to challenging, encouraging, and maybe even inspiring your spiritual and emotional growth in way that you’ve never experienced before. We will be reading and discussing a variety of writers who will take us on a journey of honest self-examination, and provide us with a vision of what true, authentic, Biblical community really is. We will be reading from people like: Brennan Manning, Larry Crabb, Henri Nouwen, Andy Stanley, and Phillip Yancey.

His Story and Yours (INT101-09)
Stairwells: Men - Cave, Women - Lodge

We will be exploring God’s story of redemption, while learning tools to grow closer to Him and to make Him known.

To Narnia, the Shire, and Beyond (INT101-10)
Stairwells: Men - Cockpit, Women - Quikstop

Few men have impacted Christianity more than Clive Staples Lewis (C.S. Lewis). He wrote Fantasy, Science Fiction, Apologetics, Literary Criticism, Poetry, Children's Literature, Essays, Sermons and more. Who was this man? Who were his friends? Who were his influences? What lessons does he have to teach college freshmen in the 21st century? Join us as we travel to Narnia and Beyond to find out for yourself!

Young Life: An introduction to incarnational witness, spiritual leadership, and Young Life's ministry to teenagers (INT101-11)
Stairwells: Men - Cave, Women - Summit

This class will focus on Incarnational Witness and the ministry of Young Life. We will look at Spiritual Leadership, Incarnational Witness, Servant Leadership, and the ministry of Young Life. What does it mean to be called? How might God want to develop and transform you as you seek to serve Him? What does it look like to incarnate the message of Jesus in our world today? This class will focus on mission and discipleship. Students can expect to deepen their understanding of biblical witness, ministry skills, and personal discipleship. This course is open to students with previous Young Life experience.

Women Advancing God's Kingdom (INT101-12)
Stairwells: Women - Your Mom's House

This course will define the Kingdom of God as we seek to understand this reality in every aspect of our lives. Advancing God's Kingdom through a biblical worldview will be studied in depth. Women in this class will gain a firm grasp on their identity as daughters of the King and begin to live out "Kingdom Principles" as we learn what God has saved us for. Please note: this class is for women only.

Spiritual Pilgrimage (INT101-13)
Stairwells: Men - Shelter, Women - Cornerstone

Read and learn about the journeys of men and women whose longings for God resulted in profound writings, chronicling the trials and triumphs of faith. A strong emphasis on personal growth and transformation helps to lay foundations for a deep and lasting connection with God.

Not of this World (INT101-14)
Stairwells: Women - Sandlot

As followers of Christ we are called to “not conform to the patter of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is-His good pleasing and perfect will” (Romans 12:2, NIV). Today’s world is changing quickly and drastically. It is not the same world your parents grew up in and your future children’s world will look dramatically different. This FYI will use various resources from research, social media, movies, YouTube, etc to challenge the culture norms to educate college students to think for themselves instead of accepting societal norms. What does it really mean to be “not of this world?” Please note: this class is for women only.

Worthy of the Call (INT101-15)
Stairwells: Men - Cockpit, Women - Quickstop

College is a very pivotal time in a person’s life. We build deep and long-lasting relationships, wrestle with our understanding of the world, and attempt to define our career paths. The purpose of this class is to better understand God’s calling in our lives and what that means for our relationships, education, and vocation. We will strive to understand the essence of a calling, observe how men and women in the Bible discovered/developed their callings, and reflect on what our own personal callings look like both vocationally and relationally.