Ben DettmarDettmar portrait

Areas of Interest

  • Sports Culture and History
  • Twentieth Century American History
  • Media and Cultural Studies

Biography

I began my Ph.D. in American Studies at MSU in August 2006 after receiving my M.Phil from the University of Glasgow in 2004 and my BA Hon's from the University of Wales in 2001.  I also studied 'abroad' twice, at the University of Wisconsin La Crosse in 1999–2000 and at the University of Oklahoma! in 2003.

My Ph.D. research focuses on sport in American culture. My current project involves looking at historical and cultural reasons why soccer, the most popular sport in the world, does not have the same popularity in the US as it does worldwide.

Whilst completing my M.Phil I presented papers at the BAAS Postgraduate Conference in 2003 and at the BAAS Conference in 2004 and have presented again at the BAAS Conference, at the Midwest Popular Culture Conference, and the Mid-Atlantic American Culture Conference whilst at MSU. During my first year at MSU I was a TA in the departments of History and IAH and I also TAed for a study abroad program to Europe. During my second year I worked for MATRIX, Michigan State University's award winning, world class, humanities and technology research center where I was involved with a project concerning the Detroit Public Television program, American Black Journal, (http://abj.matrix.msu.edu/) and a project entitled “Resistance to Rights, An Audiovisual Resource on Michigan Civil Rights History.”

I am currently trying to balance reading for my comprehensive exams with being a teaching assistant in the department of history, an editorial assistant for the Journal of Popular Culture, as well as being the president of the American Studies Graduate Student Association (ASGSA).