Guide to the Bowdoin College Catalogue, 1807-
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Digital materials may be used for research, educational, and non-commercial purposes without our written permission. For information about publication, visit our policies page or contact scaref@bowdoin.edu.
These publications have been digitized and are available on Bowdoin Digital Commons.
Bowdoin College Catalogue, George J. Mitchell Department of Special Collections & Archives, Bowdoin College Library, Brunswick, Maine
The George J. Mitchell Department of Special Collections & Archives, like all archives and special collections libraries, is the creation of human beings who have collected, organized, and described things in ways that reflect personal, cultural, societal, and institutional biases. Although we strive to preserve and present collections in a manner that is respectful to the individuals and communities who create, use, and are represented in the collections, we acknowledge that our systems are neither neutral nor perfect. We encourage you to let us know if you encounter materials, descriptive language, or practices that are offensive or harmful, particularly those for which inadequate context or warning is offered. We are committed to modifying and updating our descriptive practices to use respectful and inclusive terminology and appreciate your help in this work. We look forward to supporting you in your research and learning together.
The Catalogue was first published in 1807 as a single page broadside with the names of administrators, faculty, and students. As the College expanded, so did the Catalogue, including information on the academic calendar, curriculum, admissions policies, finances, campus buildings, and student life. In the 2010-2011 academic year the College Catalogue began online publication on Bowdoin's website, while also maintaining print publication. In 2015, the Catalogue was renamed the Academic Handbook: Policies and Procedures. This change reflects the transition of individual course listings and descriptions from the printed publication to an electronic format published on Bowdoin's website. In Fall 2019 the format and delivery of the Catalogue was restructured and the new College Catalogue and Academic Handbook made available online, powered by CourseLeaf. The Bowdoin College Catalogue and Academic Handbook is updated annually and overseen by the Office of the Dean for Academic Affairs and the Office of the Registrar.
This collection includes print copies of the Bowdoin College Catalogue from 1807-2015, the Academic Handbook from 2015-, and a website archive of the Catalogue and Academic Handbook from 2020 onwards.
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Arranged chronologically.
Bowdoin College has produced a general Catalogue since 1807, when a single broadsheet listed the president, two professors and two tutors; the graduates in 1806 (six students) and 1807 (three students); and the total current student body (forty-two). Curricular information was included in 1822 and from 1821-1921, information on the Medical School of Maine. Between 1904 and 1977 the Catalogue was published as an issue of the Bowdoin College Bulletin. Beginning in 1969, the list of students was no longer published in the Catalogue (a separate student directory had been produced since 1949).
In the 2010-2011 academic year, the Catalogue became primarily an online publication available via the College website; a pared down print version was also produced in parallel with the online Catalogue.
This publication has been digitized and is available on Bowdoin Digital Commons.
1807 (6 copies)
1809 (3 copies), 1810, 1812 (2 copies)
1813 (2 copies), 1814 (3 copies), 1815 (2 copies)
1816 (2 copies), 1817 (3 copies)
1818 (2 copies), 1819 (6 copies)
1820 (4 copies), 1821 (3 copies)
1822-1833
1834-1847
1848-1857
1857-1867
1867-1978
1878-1901
1901-1904
1977-1978
1978-1979
1979-1980
1980-1981
1981-1982
1982-1983
1983-1984
1984-1985
1985-1986
1986-1987
1987-1988
1988-1989
1989-1990
1990-1991
1991-1992
1992-1993
1993-1994
1994-1995
1995-1996
1996-1997
1997-1998
1998-1999
1999-2000
2000-2001
2001-2002
2002-2003
2003-2004
2004-2005
2005-2006
2006-2007
2007-2008
2008-2009
2009-2010
2010-2011
2011-2012
2012-2013
2013-2014
2014-2015
The Academic Handbook continues to serve as the authoritative source of information about Bowdoin College. As with the printed version, the online Academic Handbook presents a comprehensive snapshot in time of the College. The current Academic Handbook is available here.
Arranged chronologically.
No restrictions.
This publication is available online at Bowdoin Digital Commons.
2015-2016
2016-2017
2017-2018
2018-2019
Individual course listings and descriptions. Students access courses through a comprehensive database (Polaris), accessible via Bowdoin's website, maintained by the Registrar, and produced once a year for the archives as print or PDF.
No restrictions.
Arranged chronologically.
This publication is available online at Bowdoin Digital Commons.
2015-2016
2016-2017
2017-2018
2018-2019
The Bowdoin College Catalogue and Academic Handbook includes academic information such as department and program descriptions, major/minor requirements, and course descriptions, in addition to the College's calendar, mission statements, information about expenses and governance, and details about educational resources and facilities. Beginning in 2020, the Catalogue and Academic Handbook has been archived as a separate "collection" via a subscription with Archive-It, a service of the Internet Archive using the Wayback Machine technology.
The Bowdoin College Catalogue and Academic Handbook website is archived each semester.
For other Bowdoin College related archived websites, see the Bowdoin College Web Archive.
Bowdoin College Catalogue and Academic Handbook, 2020-
No restrictions.
Arranged chronologically.
This publication is available online at Bowdoin Digital Commons.
2019-2020