From Piety to Pluralism – A History of Bowdoin College

This course tracks instances of tolerance and intolerance over the entire arc of Bowdoin College’s two-hundred-and-thirty-year history. In addition to exploring the College’s relations with Maine’s tribal communities, and how it has engaged with ethnic, racial and religious minorities, this history teases out Bowdoin’s transformation from a religiously affiliated institution to a modern liberal arts college. The course shines a light on lesser-known graduates, faculty, and staff who overcame hardship and discrimination and went on to make their marks in their respective fields.

Required: Wells, Allen, From Piety Toward Pluralism: A History of Bowdoin College, Pink Eraser Press, ISBN 979-8994663103. Shorter readings (article length) will supplement this text. *The book will be available for sale at Midcoast Senior College.

Allen Wells is the Roger Howell Jr. Professor of History, emeritus at Bowdoin College. The author or co-author of seven previous books, he has been awarded fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the American Council of Learned Societies.