Elisabeth Gareis
Professor
Weissman School of Arts and Sciences
Department: Communication Studies
Areas of expertise: Intercultural Communication, Applied Linguistics
Email Address: elisabeth.gareis@baruch.cuny.edu
- Biography
- Research and Creative Activity
- Honors and Awards
Elisabeth Gareis is a Professor in the Department of Communication Studies at Baruch College. Her research interests include intercultural communication and applied linguistics, with her primary focus being intercultural friendship and its role in prejudice reduction. For an overview of this topic, see her entry in the Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Communication. Prof. Gareis’ research on friendship formation between international and domestic students has been widely covered in the media. For examples, see The Chronicle of Higher Education and an interview with Prof. Gareis on Voice of America. Related research focuses on the communication of love, with cross-cultural differences and changes in love expression over time serving as access points for examining larger cultural phenomena.
Prof. Gareis’ research also includes refugee integration and Jewish/non-Jewish relationships in Nazi-era and modern-day Germany. She has co-produced an award-winning documentary on the discovery of 13 Driver’s Licenses that had been confiscated from Jewish citizens in a small German town in 1938, and the resulting attempts of reconciliation and friendship between modern-day Germans and the descendants of the Jewish drivers who had managed to escape Germany. She is currently working on a second documentary focusing on Jewish life in her hometown Lichtenfels, Germany in the 1930s and the life of refugees from that town in the United States.
In recognition of her contributions at her home college, Prof. Gareis received the Baruch College Presidential Excellence Awards for Distinguished Service in 2018 and for Distinguished Teaching in 2021.
Professor Gareis is author of the book Intercultural Friendship: A Qualitative Study, the textbook series A Novel Approach (on the use of literature and film in the language education), and numerous journal articles.
Education
Ed.D., Foreign Language Education, University of Georgia
M.A., German Literature & Linguistics, University of Georgia
B.A., English/German, University of Erlangen, Germany
Artistic and Creative Activities
Terao, R., & Gareis, E. (2025). Beyond 13 Driver's Licenses (Feature-Length Documentary). In Progress.
Terao, R., Gareis, E., & Parmar, V. (2023). 13 Führerscheine [13 driver's licenses] (Documentary, 27 min.).
Terao, R., Gareis, E., & Parmar, V. (2022). 13 driver's licenses (Documentary, 27 min.).
Books
Gareis, E., Allard, M., Gill, S., & Saindon, J. (2000). A novel approach: Shoeless Joe/Field of dreams. University of Michigan Press.
Gareis, E., Allard, M., Gill, S., & Saindon, J. (1998). A novel approach: Being there. University of Michigan Press.
Gareis, E., Allard, M., Gill, S., & Saindon, J. (1998). A novel approach: Fried green tomatoes. University of Michigan Press.
Gareis, E., Allard, M., & Saindon, J. (1997). A novel approach: Shawshank redemption. University of Michigan Press.
Gareis, E. (1995). Intercultural friendship: A qualitative study. University Press of America.
Journal Articles
Gareis, E., Goldman, J., & Merkin, R. (2019). Promoting intercultural friendship among college students. Journal of International and Intercultural Communication, 12(1). 1-22.
Aaron, R., Cedeño, C., Gareis, E., Kumar, L., & Swaminathan, A. (2018). Peers to peers: Developing a student-coordinated conversation partners program. Journal of International Students, 8(3). 1319-1330.
Gareis, E. (2012). Intercultural friendship: Effects of home region and sojourn location. Journal of International and Intercultural Communication, 5(4). 309-328.
Gareis, E., Merkin, R., & Goldman, J. (2011). Intercultural friendship: Linking communication variables and friendship success. Journal of Intercultural Communication Research, 40. 155-173.
Gareis, E., & Wilkins, R. (2011). Love expression in the United States and Germany. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 35. 307-319.
Merkin, R., & Gareis, E. (2011). The impact of communicative ability on learning. Pennsylvania Communication Annual, 67. 10-25.
Gareis, E. (2010). Habermas to the rescue. Business Communication Quarterly, 73. 166-175.
Gareis, E., Allard, M., & Saindon, J. (2009). The novel as textbook. TESL Canada Journal, 26. 136-147.
Gareis, E. (2008). Raising the bar on global awareness. Communication Teacher, 22. 111-115.
Gareis, E. (2007). Active learning: A PowerPoint tutorial. Business Communication Quarterly, 70. 462-466.
Wilkins, R., & Gareis, E. (2006). Emotion expression and the locution "I love you": A cross-cultural study. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 30. 51 - 75.
Gareis, E. (2006). Virtual teams: A comparison of online communication channels. Journal of Language for International Business , 17. 6-21.
Zhu, Y., Gareis, E., O'Keefe Bazzoni, J., & Rolland, D. (2005). Focus on intercultural communication: A collaborative online project between New Zealand and New York. Business Communication Quarterly , 68. 81-96.
Gareis, E. (2005). Pronunciation textbook discrepancies. English Teaching Forum , 43(2). 18-23.
Gareis, E. (2005). Relativism versus universalism: Developing a personal philosophy. Communication Teacher , 19. 39-43.
Gareis, E., & Williams, L. (2004). International faculty development for full-time and adjunct faculty: A program description. The Journal of Faculty Development, 20. 45-53.
Erbert, L., Pérez, F., & Gareis, E. (2003). Turning points and dialectical interpretations of immigrant experiences in the United States. Western Journal of Communication , 67. 113-137.
Gareis, E. (2000). Intercultural friendship: Five case studies of German students in the USA. Journal of Intercultural Studies , 21(1). 67-91.
Gareis, E. (1999). Two thumbs up! A student video production. English Teaching Forum, 38(1). 6-17.
Gareis, E., Allard, M., Gill, S., & Saindon, J. (1998). Beyond Entertainment: Novels and film adaptations in the ESL/EFL classroom. TESL Canada Journal , 15. 50-58.
Gareis, E. (1997). Literature and film adaptations: Dealing with hot topics on the ESL and literacy classroom. Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy , 41. 220-222.
Gareis, E. (1997). Movies in the language classroom: Dealing with problematic content. TESOL Journal, 6(4). 20-23.
Gareis, E., & Ogden, D. (1997). Video: An effective and versatile tool for language learning. TESOL Matters, 7(1). 10.
Gareis, E. (1996). Groundhog Day: Suggestions for classroom use. TESOL Matters, 6(5). 16.
Book Chapters
Gareis, E. (2023). How can intercultural friendship help reduce prejudice?. In Goodboy, A., & Schultz, K. (Eds.), Introduction to communication studies: Translating communication scholarship into meaningful practice (pp. 133-142). Kendall Hunt.
Gareis, E. (2023). Intercultural friendships. In Moy, P. (Ed.), Oxford bibliographies in communication Oxford University Press.
Merkin, R., & Gareis, E. (2021). Face and friendship in the United States. In Altmann, T. (Ed.), Friendship in cultural and personality psychology: International perspectives (pp. 35-55). Nova Science Publisher.
Gareis, E., & Jalayer, A. (2018). Contact effects on intercultural friendship between East Asian students and American domestic students (Best Book Award, 2nd Place, Comparative and International Education Society: Study Abroad & International Students) . In Ma, Y., & Garcia-Murrilo, M. A. (Eds.), Understanding international students from Asia in American universities: Learning and living globalization (pp. 83-106). Springer.
Gareis, E. (2017). Intercultural friendship and communication. In Chen, L. (Ed.), Handbooks of communication science (pp. 457-480). de Gruyter Mouton.
Gareis, E. (2017). Intercultural friendships. In Nussbaum, J. F. (Ed.), Oxford research encyclopedia of communication Oxford University Press.
Gareis, E., & Wilkins, R. (2011). Communicating love: A sociocultural perspective. In Salmon, C. T. (Ed.), Communication yearbook (pp. 199-239). Routledge.
Gareis, E. (1999). Adult friendship: Examples of intercultural patterns. In Roloff, M. E. (Ed.), Communication yearbook (pp. 430-468). Sage.
Gareis, E. (1999). Rhetoric and intercultural friendship formation. In Gonzalez, A., & Tanno, D. V. (Eds.), International and intercultural communication annual: Rhetoric in intercultural contexts (pp. 91-117). Sage.
Media Contributions
Gareis, E., & Belland, J. (2006). Effective use of PowerPoint: Online tutorial.
| Honor / Award | Organization Sponsor | Date Received | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best European Documentary Short | International Academy Arthouse Fest: Spain International Film Awards | 2024-04-15 | Film "13 Driver's Licenses" |
| Best European Documentary | Tribeca Indie Generation Film Festival/Wild Filmmaker Festival | 2024-01-19 | Film "13 Driver's Licenses" |
| Jury’s Choice Award | Thomas Edison Film Festival | 2023-12-01 | Film "13 Driver's Licenses" |
| Sunrise Trophy | Better World Film Festival | 2023-10-15 | Film "13 Driver's Licenses" |
| Best Documentary Short Film | 8 & HalFilm Awards | 2023-09-15 | Film "13 Driver's Licenses" |
| Best Human Rights Film | Frida Film Festival | 2023-09-09 | Film "13 Driver's Licenses" |
| Best Short Documentary | Frida Film Festival | 2023-09-09 | Film "13 Driver's Licenses" |
| Best Documentary Short Film | Rome Movie Awards | 2023-08-13 | Film "13 Driver's Licenses" |
| Gold Award: Short Documentary | London Movie Awards | 2023-08-05 | Film "13 Driver's Licenses" |
| Best Documentary | Brussels Capital Film Festival | 2023-03-16 | Film "13 Driver's Licenses" |
| Best Documentary | Ukrainian Dream Film Festival | 2023-02-12 | Film "13 Driver's Licenses" |
| Baruch College Presidential Excellence Award for Distinguished Teaching | Baruch College | 2021 | |
| Best Book Award (2nd place) | Comparative and International Education Society: Study Abroad & International Students SIG | 2019 | Best Book Award, 2nd place, for book "Understanding international students from Asia in American Universities: Learning and living globalization," to which E. Gareis and A. Jalayer contributed a chapter. |
| Baruch College Presidential Excellence Award for Distinguished Service | Baruch College | 2018 | |
| Top-Four Paper, Intercultural and International Communication Division | National Communication Association (NCA) | 2016 | |
| Top-Three Paper, Intercultural Communication Interest Group | Eastern Communication Association (ECA) Convention | 2012 | |
| TESOL Video Interest Section Anniversary Award | TESOL | 1999 | |
| University of Georgia Foundation Scholarship | University of Georgia | 1983 |