Derek Van Rheenen

Derek Van Rheenen’s research interests include cultural studies of play, games and sport, the connections between sports, learning and schooling, and the role of intercollegiate athletics in the American university system. A former Academic All-American and professional soccer player, Van Rheenen teaches courses on sport, culture, and education. In 1998 he received the Outstanding Dissertation Award in the Graduate School of Education, UC Berkeley. Professor Van Rheenen has also been named a Chancellor's Public Scholar at the University of California, Berkeley.

Dr. Van Rheenen is the Coordinator of the GSE-wide M.A. Program and directs the Cultural Studies of Sport in Education Master's degree specialization for students studying the intersections of school and sport. He also directs the Athletic Study Center at U.C. Berkeley.

Dr. Van Rheenen has been a Visiting Professor at the University of Lille and the International University of Monaco, is an invited speaker at national and international conferences, and is regularly interviewed about the role of sport in society and the intersections of sport and schooling, particularly American college sports.