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Aims & Scope

The digital edition of the Philomathean remains devoted to the journal’s traditional mission of providing a public venue for promoting the best work of Bridgewater College’s scholars, creative writers, and artists. In this respect, the aim of the Philomathean continues to be the same as it was when the journal was first launched in 1973.

However, the scope of the journal has expanded in light of its new format, allowing it to serve the campus community in a much more comprehensive fashion:

1. Whereas the traditional print version of the journal was distributed once a year to students on campus, the digital edition will be continuously available to readers in both the Bridgewater College community as well as across the world. Authors and artists who publish in the journal will now be able to share their work with graduate school admissions officers, potential employers, and other outside audiences, thereby showcasing their achievements in a way that can have much greater value to them after they graduate.
2. Whereas the traditional print edition of the journal could only publish a smaller selection of student work due to budget limitations, the digital edition has no such constraints. As a result, the journal can now publish top-ranked work from the Bridgewater College Community, including the honors program, TREB program, and ASPIRE program, thereby supporting the research initiatives of college community members in a fashion that was not possible in the past.
3. Whereas the traditional print edition of the journal could only publish limited selections of art and photography, the digital edition supports greater diversity in the visual arts, providing the possibility for multimedia submissions—video recordings of student poetry readings and public performances, student-produced podcasts, student musical performances, and multimedia projects from students in the Digital Media Strategy program. The journal is therefore suited for supporting a much fuller range of content creators from artists across all sectors of the campus community.
4. Whereas the traditional print edition of the journal was limited to one volume per year, the digital edition supports special issues that can be devoted to distinctive topics—as well as special issues which are entirely planned, managed, and produced by students themselves. The journal is therefore suited for supporting special projects, including digital publishing projects in the Digital Media Strategy program.

The Philomathean will continue to be published once a year in its standard publication cycle, with the bulk of its submissions coming from individual professors, students and alumni. However, in light of the journal’s fuller potential to serve the Bridgewater community, its future is now more promising than ever before. Bridgewater faculty, students, and staff are welcome to contact the editors with their own ideas for partnerships and projects that can further enhance the mission of the journal.