Vincent Duclos, PhD, assistant professor of global studies and of science, technology and society, pushes his students to experiment with the digital spaces they inhabit.
Hometown: Gatineau, Québec
Degree: PhD in Anthropology, University of Montreal
Research interests: Social dimensions of digital spaces technologies, global health, development, and relations between India and Africa
What did you do before coming to Drexel?
I was a postdoc, and specifically a Steinberg Global Health Postdoctoral Fellow at McGill University in Montreal.
What is your favorite book? Movie?
Book: “Thus Spoke Zarathustra” by Friedrich Nietzsche
Movie: “Dogville,” by Lars von Trier
What is your favorite food or restaurant?
Indian food
When is the last time you did something “for the first time”? What was it?
I recently tried hunting for the first time with friends.
What/who inspires you?
Walking
What was the most impactful moment of your own college career?
Discovering that I could write, at least a bit, while taking a French literature class
Which current event/issue do you think students should know more about and why?
They should perhaps be more aware that media devices are not merely tools they use, but environments in/through which they live. And they should train themselves to craft and experiment with these environments. Not because they are currently bad or toxic per se, but rather because learning to collectively inhabit media in a creative way (versus a reactive or reactionary way) is an important political issue.
What would students be surprised to learn about you?
I am one of the biggest hockey fans on campus — but certainly not a Flyers fan!
If you could relive a moment in your life what would it be?
The half hour after my first child, Émile, was born
What did you want to be when you were a kid? What made you want to become a professor?
I wanted to become a doctor. I’m not sure how exactly I became a professor, but it does combine a few things I have grown fond of, such as the adrenaline rush of teaching, the restlessness of doing research, and the almost meditative state that sometimes (not often!) comes with writing.
What do you hope to add to the CoAS community?
Hopefully a mix of energy and original research/thinking