Requirements

Digital and Computational Studies Coordinate Major

Students coordinate their study of digital and computational studies (DCS) with any department/program at Bowdoin that offers a major. To satisfy the requirements for the coordinate major in DCS, students must complete the eight credits detailed below as well as the major requirements within their coordinated department/program.

Required Courses:
DCS 1100Introduction to Digital and Computational Studies1
DCS 2450Technology and the Common Good1
DCS 3900DCS Capstone Implementation and Design1
Select one 3000-level DCS course a1
Select one of the following:1
DCS 2335
GIS and Remote Sensing: Understanding Place
DCS 2350
Social and Economic Networks
DCS 2470
Artificial Intelligence in the World
DCS 2500
Digital Text Analysis
Select three more DCS courses of your choice. b3

Digital and Computational Studies Minor

DCS 1100Introduction to Digital and Computational Studies1
Four other courses in DCS, at least three of which should be at the 2000 level or above4
  • Courses count toward the major or minor if grades of C- or better are earned.
  • One course taken with the Credit/D/Fail grading option may count toward the major or minor as long as a CR (credit) grade is earned.
  • One first-year writing seminar may count toward the major or minor.
  • A maximum of two independent studies can count toward the major at either the intermediate or advanced level. Independent studies do not count toward the minor.
  • The director of digital and computational studies works with students to discuss double-counting cross-listed courses with other departments or programs.
  • With prior approval, two courses from a one-semester study-away program may be counted toward the major; three courses may be counted toward the major from a yearlong program. One course from a one-semester study-away program may be counted toward the minor.

Information for Incoming Students

Digital and Computational Studies addresses topics that span disciplines across campus, uniting them through computational thinking, data analysis, critique of digital objects, and creative problem solving. In particular, computation is not presented merely as a technique to be exploited, but as an object of study with corresponding strengths and weaknesses. Students in DCS classes have the opportunity to work on digital projects, many of them in collaboration with other students.

The following course is open to first-year students and count towards the requirements for the DCS coordinate major or minor: DCS 1100 Introduction to Digital and Computational Studies. The following courses, when offered, are also open to first year students and typically count toward electives for the DCS coordinate major or minor:  DCS 1020 How to Read a Million Books, DCS 1500 Understanding and Deploying Computational Methods, ECON 1099 Using “Big Data” to Investigate and Suggest Solutions to Economic and Social Problems and  PHIL 1336 Ethics for a Digital World. All of these courses assume no background in any of the subjects covered, ranging from humanities, social sciences, computer science, and mathematics. Several DCS courses are cross-listed with other disciplines. They may be open to first-year students, and may count as electives.


This is an excerpt from the official Bowdoin College Catalogue and Academic Handbook. View the Catalogue