Derek Van Rheenen, Ph.D.
510-642-0605
179 Chavez Student Center
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9a - 5p | 9a - 5p | 9a - 5p | 9a - 5p | 9a - 5p |
Director
In addition to his responsibilities as Director, Derek coordinates the Degree Completion Program and theFaculty Athletic Fellows Program.
Background
Derek earned his Ph.D (1997) in Cultural Studies, his Master's degree (1993) in Education, and his undergraduate degree in Political Economy/German (1986), all from U.C. Berkeley. Derek joined the faculty in 1997. He has taught courses in American Studies and in the School of Education. He coordinates the Athletes and Academic Achievement concentration in the Graduate School of Education. The M.A. investigates the ways in which institutionalized sport both conflicts with and complements the educational mission of American secondary and post-secondary schools. Derek's research interests include children's play and games, literacy development in non-school settings, the connections between sports, culture and learning, and the history of intercollegiate athletics in the American university system. His publications include "The Promise of Soccer in America: the Open Play of Ethnic Subcultures" (in press), "Boys Who Play Hopscotch: The Historical Divide of a Gendered Space," "Noncognitive Predictors of Student Athletes' Academic Performance" (with Herbert D. Simons) and "Academic Motivation and the Student Athlete" (with Herbert D. Simons and Martin V. Covington). Derek has also participated in the production of several documentary films and is currently working on a film for the Smithsonian Institute on the artists Christo and Jenne-Claude's the Running Fence, thirty years later. As an undergraduate at Berkeley, Derek earned Academic All-American honors and played professional soccer for several years following graduation. Derek was inducted into the CAL Athletic Hall of Fame in 2008.
Where are they now?
