Department of Classics

John and Penelope Biggs Department of Classics

The Department of Classics at Washington University in St. Louis is pleased and proud to announce that it has been renamed the JOHN AND PENELOPE BIGGS DEPARTMENT OF CLASSICS, in recognition of the friendship and extraordinary generosity of John Biggs and his late wife Penelope Biggs and their family, including:

• The Biggs Family Residency in Classics, which has brought a distinguished classical scholar to our campus for a week of lectures and stimulating conversations each year since 1990
• The John and Penelope Biggs Distinguished Professorship in Classics
• The Penelope Biggs Travel Award, which in its first year has already funded research travel for 20 undergraduate students, graduate students, and faculty members
• The Penelope Biggs Scholarship/Fellowship Fund, which has allowed the department to increase significantly fellowship funding for its graduate students.

The new name and the continuing commitment of John Biggs and his family to the department will build a foundation for further expansion of the department’s programs at the undergraduate and graduate levels, its contribution to research in the field of Classics, and its outreach efforts. 

Research & Teaching

Our faculty are devoted scholars and teachers. Like our colleagues across the Humanities, and often in collaboration with them, we explore issues of rhetoric, aesthetics, power, gender, religion, education, and cultural change – all in connection to the ancient Mediterranean world. Our research projects shed light on the ways ancient people lived, connected with one another, and sought to make a mark on the world. In our undergraduate, terminal M.A., and Ph.D. programs, our students learn to use the tools of Classics research to pursue the big questions that inspire them – both in our courses and in mentored and collaborative projects of their own.

Outreach

All enthusiasts of the ancient Greek and Roman cultures, and all those who have not yet had an opportunity to learn about them, can benefit from the department’s events and outreach programs. We host many lectures and events that are open to the public, visit meetings of local groups to speak about our research, and run programs for school groups exploring the ancient world.