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1 Bowdoin 2011-2012 CATALOGUE August 201 Brunswick, Maine bowdoin.edu/catalogue Bowdoin 2011-2012 CATALOGUE August 2011 Brunswick, Maine bowdoin.edu/catalogue BowdoinCollegecomplieswithapplicableprovisionsoffederalandstatelawsthatprohibitdiscriminationin employment,admission, oraccesstoitseducationalorextracurricularprograms,activities, orfacilitiesbasedon race,color,ethnicity,nationalorigin,religion,sex,sexualorientation,genderidentityand/orexpression,age, maritalstatus,placeofbirth, veteranstatus, oragainstqualifiedindividualswithdisabilitiesonthebasisof Theinformationinthispublicationwasaccurateatthetimeofpublication.However,BowdoinCollegereserves therighttomakechangesatanytimewithoutpriornoticetoanyoftheinformation,includingbutnotlimited tocourseofferings,degreerequirements, regulations,policies,procedures,andcharges. TheCollegeprovides theinformationhereinsolelyfortheconvenienceofthereader,andtotheextentpermissiblebylaw, expressly disclaimsanyliabilitythatmayotherwisebeincurred. IncompliancewiththeCampusSecurityActof 1990,BowdoinCollegemaintainsandprovidesinformation A aboutcampussafetypoliciesandproceduresandcrimestatistics. copyofthereportisavailableuponrequest. BowdoinCollegeandtheothermembersoftheNewEnglandSmallCollegeAthleticConferencetakestrong standsagainstabusivedrinkinganditsnegativesideeffects. Thevastmajorityofstudentsatthesecolleges whochoosetodrinkalcoholdosoresponsibly. Thosewhoabusealcoholreceiveacombinationofdiscipline andeducation.Additionally, allofthememberschoolsexpresslyprohibithaving. Printedusingsustainablepaperandprocesses. Contents GeneralInformation 5 CollegeCalendar 6 TheOfferoftheCollege 9 AdmissiontotheCollege 10 FinancialAid 11 Expenses 12 ALiberalEducationatBowdoinCollege 15 TheCurriculum 16 AcademicStandardsandRegulations 21 SpecialAcademicPrograms 35 Off-CampusStudy 38 Coursesof Instruction 39 ExplanationofSymbolsUsed 39 AfricanaStudies 40 Arabic 48 Art 48 AsianStudies 56 Biochemistry 67 Biology 67 Chemistry 77 Classics 83 ComputerScience 91 EarthandOceanographicScience 96 Economics 102 Education 110 English 115 EnvironmentalStudies 126 FilmStudies 139 First-YearSeminars 141 GayandLesbianStudies 151 GenderandWomen'sStudies 155 German 165 GovernmentandLegalStudies 170 History 180 InterdisciplinaryMajors 197 InterdisciplinaryStudies 201 LatinAmericanStudies 201 Mathematics 208 Music 214 Neuroscience 223 Philosophy 225 PhysicsandAstronomy 228 Psychology 233 Religion 239 RomanceLanguages 245 Russian 254 SociologyandAnthropology 258 TheaterandDance 266 EducationalResourcesandFacilities 276 ArtsFacilities 276 CenterforLearningandTeaching 276 FieldStations 278 InformationTechnology 279 BowdoinCollegeLibrary 280 JosephMcKeenCenterfortheCommonGood 281 Museums 282 StudentFellowshipsandResearch 284 StudentAffairsandtheAcademicHonorandSocialCodes 285 OfficersofInstruction 286 InstructionalandResearchStaff 302 Index 304 General Information Bowdoinisanindependent,nonsectarian,coeducational,residential,undergraduate,liberal artscollegelocatedinBrunswick,Maine,atownofapproximately22,000situatedclosetothe Mainecoast,25miles fromPordandandabout120milesfromBoston. TermsandVacations:TheCollegeholdstwosessionseachyear.Thedatesofthesemesters andthevacationperiodsareindicatedintheCollegeCalendaronpages6—8. Accreditation:BowdoinCollegeisaccreditedbytheNewEnglandAssociationofSchools andColleges. Enrollment:Thestudentbodynumbersabout1,750students (49percentmale,51 percent female;lasttwoclasses49/51 percent);about250studentsstudyawayoneorbothsemesters annually;91 percentcompletethedegreewithinfiveyears. Faculty:Student/facultyratio9:1;theequivalentof 193 full-timefacultyinresidence,99 percentwithPh.D.orequivalent;31 headathleticcoaches. GeographicDistributionof Students:NewEngland,41.7percent;MiddleAtlanticstates, 22.1 percent;Midwest,8.9percent;West, 11.1 percent;Southwest,3.5percent;South,7.4 percent;international,5.3percent.Fiftystates,theDistrictof Columbia,PuertoRico,and thirty-onecountriesarerepresented.Minorityandinternationalenrollmentis34percent. Statistics:AsofJune2011,36,936studentshavematriculatedatBowdoinCollege,and28,803 degreesinacademicprogramshavebeenawarded.Inaddition,earnedmaster'sdegreeshave beenawardedto274postgraduatestudents.Livingalumni/aeinclude18,617graduates,2,162 nongraduates, 126honorarydegreeholders (41 alumni/ae,85non-alumni/ae),27recipientsof theCertificateofHonor,and234graduatesinthespecificpostgraduateprogram. OfficesandOfficeHours:TheAdmissionsOfficeislocatedinBurton-LittleHouse. Offices ofthepresidentanddeanforacademicaffairsarelocatedinHawthorne-LongfellowHall,the westendofHawthorne-LongfellowLibrary.TheTreasurer'sOfficeislocatedinHamHouse onBathRoad.BusinessofficesandtheHumanResourcesOfficeareintheMcLellanBuilding at85UnionStreet.TheDevelopmentandAlumniRelationsofficesarelocatedat83and85 FederalStreetandinCopelandHouse.TheofficesoftheRegistrar,theDeanofStudent Affairs,andBowdoinCareerPlanningareintheMoultonUnion.TheCounselingServiceis at32CollegeStreet.TheDepartmentof FacilitiesManagementandtheOfficeofSafetyand SecurityareinRhodesHall. Ingeneral,theadministrativeofficesoftheCollegeareopenfrom8:30a.m.to5:00p.m., MondaythroughFriday. TelephoneSwitchboard:BowdoinCollegeusesanautomatedcallprocessingsystemon itsmainnumber,207-725-3000.Aliveoperatorcanbereached24hoursaday,sevendays aweek,bypressing"0."Furtherinformationabouttelephonenumberscanbefoundat bowdoin.edu/directory/. BowdoinCollegeWebsite:bowdoin.edu.TheonlineBowdoinCollegeCataloguecanbe foundatbowdoin.edu/catalogue/. College Calendar Unlessotherwiseindicated, regularclassschedulesareineffectonholidayslisted. 210thAcademicYear(proposedcalendarsubjecttochange) 2011 August1,Monday Ramadanbeginsatfirstlight August23-27,Tues.-Sat. Pre-OrientationTrips August27,Saturday Collegehousingreadyforoccupancyforfirst-year studentsonly,9:00a.m. August27-31,Sat-Wed. Orientation August30,Tuesday Ramadanendsatlastlight August30,Tuesday Collegehousingreadyforoccupancyforupperclass students,8:00a.m. — August31,Wednesday OpeningoftheCollege Convocation,3:30p.m. September1,Thursday Fallsemesterclassesbegin,8:00a.m. September5,Monday LaborDay(Collegeholiday,manyofficesclosed) September17,Saturday CommonGoodDay September22-24,Thurs.-Sat. AlumniCouncil,AlumniFundDirectors,andBASIC NationalAdvisoryBoardmeetings September28-30,Wed.-Fri. RoshHashanah,beginsatsunsetonSept.28and concludesatsunsetonSept.30 October7,Friday Fallvacationbeginsafterlastclass;Note:ColumbusDay isMonday,Oct. 10 October7-8,Fri.-Sat. YomKippur,beginsatsunsetonOct.7andconcludesat sunsetonOct. 8 October12,Wednesday Fallvacationends,8:00a.m. October13-15,Thurs.-Sat. MeetingsoftheBoardofTrustees October14-16,Fri.-Sun. HomecomingWeekend October28,Friday SarahandJamesBowdoinDay October28-30,Fri.-Sun. ParentsWeekend November23,Wednesday Thanksgivingvacationbegins,8:00a.m.* (November23- 25:Collegeholidays,manyofficesclosed) November28,Monday Thanksgivingvacationends,8:00a.m. December9,Friday Lastdayofclasses December10-13,Sat.-Tues. Readingperiod December14-19,Wed.-Mon. Fallsemesterexaminations December20,Tuesday Collegehousingclosesforwinterbreak,noon December23,Friday ChristmasEveholidayobserved(Collegeholiday,many officesclosed) December26,Monday Christmasholidayobserved(Collegeholiday,many officesclosed) December30,Friday NewYear'sEveholidayobserved (Collegeholiday,many officesclosed) College Calendar 2012 January2,Monday NewYear'sDayholidayobserved(Collegeholiday,many officesclosed) January16,Monday MartinLutherKingJr.Day(Collegeholiday,many officesclosed) January21,Saturday Collegehousingavailable foroccupancy,8:00a.m. January23,Monday Springsemesterclassesbegin,8:00a.m. February9-11,Thurs.-Sat. MeetingsoftheBoardofTrustees February20,Monday Presidents'Day,classesinsession(Collegeholiday,many officesclosed) March9,Friday Springvacationbeginsafterlastclass March10,Saturday Collegehousingcloses forspringvacation,noon March24,Saturday Collegehousingavailableforoccupancy,8:00a.m. March26,Monday Springvacationends,8:00a.m. March29-31,Thurs.-Sat. AlumniCouncil,AlumniFundDirectors,andBASIC NationalAdvisoryBoardmeetings April6,Friday GoodFriday April6-14,Fri.-Sat. Passover,beginsatsunsetonApril6andconcludesat sunsetonApril 14 April8,Sunday Easter May9,Wednesday Lastdayofclasses;HonorsDay May10-12,Thurs.-Sat. MeetingsoftheBoardofTrustees May10-13,Thurs.-Sun. Readingperiod May14-19,Mon.-Sat. Springsemesterexaminations May20,Sunday Collegehousingclosesfornon-graduatingstudents,noon May25,Friday Baccalaureate May26,Saturday The207thCommencementExercises May26,Saturday Collegehousingcloses forgraduatingstudents,6:00p.m. May28,Monday MemorialDay(Collegeholiday,manyofficesclosed) May31-June3,Thurs.-Sun. ReunionWeekend July4,Wednesday FourthofJulyholiday(Collegeholiday,manyoffices closed) Notes: Regularclassschedulesineffectonholidayslistedunlessotherwisenoted.Staff,checkwith supervisortodetermineifofficeisclosed. *Wednesday,November23classeswillberescheduledonaclass-by-classbasisbythecourse instructor. 20II August September SUN MO1N 2TUE WED THU FRI SAT SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 28 29 30 31 25 26 27 28 29 30 October November December SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT SUN MON TU1E 2WED THU FRI SAT SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT 1 3 4 5 1 2 3 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 27 28 29 30 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 30 31 2012 January February March SU1N 2MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT SUN MON TUE WE1D 2THU FRI SAT SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT 3 4 5 6 7 3 4 1 2 3 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 29 30 31 26 27 28 29 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 April May June SU1N 2MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT SUN MON TU1E 2WED THU FRI SAT SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT 3 4 5 6 7 3 4 5 1 2 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 29 30 27 28 29 30 31 24 25 26 27 28 29 30