News and Events

Bowdoin Hosts Transcribe-a-Thon to Celebrate (Frederick) Douglass Day

Members of the Bowdoin community got together on Valentine’s Day to eat cake and transcribe historical documents as the College celebrated Douglass Day, in honor of former slave and nineteenth-century social reformer Frederick Douglass.

Research, Publications, Awards, and More: Highlights from a Semester of Faculty Achievements

Through new books, papers published in journals, media appearances, and more, Bowdoin faculty members complemented their time in the classroom during the fall semester with a variety of scholarly and artistic contributions.

Stunning Debut for Film Director Eduardo Mendoza ’24

A Bowdoin graduate’s award-winning short movie about a missing lottery ticket explores deeper themes regarding immigration and the American experience.

Honors for Aviva Briefel Horror Movie Anthology

An early Halloween treat for the cinema studies and English professor as she picks up an award for her book project exploring the role of labor in horror films. She’s also been heard discussing the subject on NPR recently.

Why Studying the Humanities Is Essential for Designing Artificial Intelligence Systems

Faculty members collaborated to teach a multidisciplinary class exploring the crucial role that the study of ethics plays in world of artificial intelligence. The course was partially funded by a grant from the National Humanities Center.

Bowdoin’s Brennan and Perkinson on the Humanities, Practical Application of Invaluable Tools in “Inside Higher Ed”

The value and benefits of a liberal arts education steeped in the humanities has worthy champions in Kristin Brennan, executive director of Bowdoin’s Office of Career Exploration and Development (CXD), and Stephen Perkinson, professor of art history.

Telling a Story on Stage and Screen: Director Tina Satter ’96 Visits Campus

Satter hosts a campus screening of her critically acclaimed movie Reality, which tells the story of intelligence contractor and whistleblower Reality Winner. The English major describes the filmmaking process and how she drew inspiration from the transcript of a real-life FBI interrogation.

Slideshow: What’s Happening at Sills Hall

Sills Hall, a hub for the study of languages and cinema and largely untouched beyond routine maintenance, since its original construction in 1950, is undergoing a transformation.

Faculty Collaborate on Asian-American Themed Art Exhibition

Five faculty members collaborate on an exhibition currently showing at the Bowdoin College Museum of Art. Without Apology explores how Asian American identity has expressed itself through the last eight decades or so.

How Horror Films Portray Labor

English and cinema studies scholar Aviva Briefel coedits an anthology exploring the link between horror movies and labor—how “the ravages of labor are constant grist for horror films.”

A Full Year Ahead of Asian American Talks, Courses, Films, and Art

A group of Bowdoin professors will be offering a diverse slate of courses and programming this year focused on Asian American history, perspectives, and expressions.

Bowdoin Scholars Weigh In on Blockbuster Movie Releases Oppenheimer and Barbie

Writing in a news opinion piece, historian David Hecht says the movie Oppenheimer, though a good film, neglects to tell the full story of the Manhattan Project. Meanwhile, talking on a radio phone-in show, film scholar Allison Cooper admits she feels conflicted over Barbie.

Bowdoin Announces 2023 Honorary Degree Recipients

Bowdoin will bestow five honorary degrees at its 218th Commencement exercises, to be held Saturday, May 27, 2023, on the Quad in front of the Bowdoin College Museum of Art.

Bowdoin's Herstory Month Illuminates Women in the World Today

Women's Herstory Month, which takes place in March, is Bowdoin's unique take on Women's History Month. It emphasizes the many incredible lives, stories, and contributions of women today, as well as throughout history.

Bowdoin’s Belkaid Explores Politics of Filmmakers in Contemporary Algeria

In her latest book, scholar of North African culture Meryem Belkaid looks at the role documentary filmmakers have played in the political landscape of Algeria over the last several decades.

A Closer Look at the Close-Up

Bowdoin cinema students and faculty share in a six-figure grant from the Mellon Foundation to take a deep dive into one of the most powerful techniques used in filmmaking—the close-up.

Exploring Shyness through Film

A movie short produced by Spencer Wilkins ’21 and addressing the issue of his social anxiety is picked up by a couple of film festivals in the Midwest. Wilkins is currently pursuing an MFA in creative writing.

(Practically) Every Topic Under the Bowdoin Sun

Over 200 students received fellowships from Bowdoin this summer to pursue independent research with a faculty advisor.

The Many Possibilities of the Long Take

At the same time as the world slowed down during the pandemic, Eduardo Mendoza ’24 became fascinated with the cinematic technique of the leisurely long take, in which a camera seemingly stays focused on one scene for many minutes without cutting away.

Bowdoin Selected for National Initiative on AI Ethics

A nationwide project involving faculty from fifteen colleges and universities aims to design new courses that address the ethical implications of artificial intelligence technologies.