A self-declared Francophile, senior Victor Chen enjoys learning about Western cultures through the French perspective.
Chen, who is from Boulder, Colorado, is majoring in French studies and economics, with a minor in environmental sciences and policy. Although he had taken French in high school, he was not initially planning on majoring it when he came to Duke.
“My French and Romance Studies classes have been generally the most interesting ones I’ve taken at Duke.” Chen said. “I wouldn't have expected this when I started my education at Duke, and it’s really influenced the way I think. Studying another language is like going to a different world—you can pretend to be a different person and get just a completely different perspective on the world.”
Chen studied abroad in Paris during his junior year. He is currently working on a senior thesis for his French major, titled “The Luxury of Decline.” For his research, he is studying two periods of French culture in which the country was relatively stable before a historical period of decline.
“I'm trying to see if there are certain tastes or behaviors that the elite or dominant class exhibits before society goes into a period of decline,” he said. “It’s relevant to today’s society, because right now we’re in a relatively stable period of American history. Does this mean decline is coming or is already happening?”
He added that he will use his economics background extensively to guide his French research.
Chen’s favorite class in the department was “Paris: Capital of the Nineteenth Century,” taught by Professor of French Studies David Bell. He said he enjoyed learning about how Paris influenced everything from architecture to literature, and how modern cities affect people’s lives.
“It was pretty fun to read all the literature and be able to trace the steps of the characters through 19th century Paris,” he said. “Everything from gas lamps to the new construction affected the peoples lives.”
Aside from academics, Chen is involved with the Duke Outing Club and the bass fishing team. He also enjoys practicing the piano in his off-campus apartment.
After graduation, Chen said he hopes to go into a field related to clean or renewable energy.
Department of Romance Studies
