Elizabeth Aries

I received my Ph.D. in social psychology from Harvard University in 1973. I joined the faculty at Amherst College in 1975 where I was the Clarence Francis (1910) Professor in Social Sciences (Psychology) until my retirement in June, 2023. For my first 20 years at Amherst College, my research interests focused on gender and communication. I authored Men and Women in Interaction: Reconsidering the Differences (Oxford University Press, 1996). My research interests shifted to issues of race and class. I carried out 12-year interview study of affluent Black, affluent white, lower-income Black, and lower-income white students of Amherst College looking at the challenges they faced on campus due to their race and class and what they learned from the race and class diversity in the student body. I completed two books about their college experiences and learning: Race and Class Matters at an Elite College (Temple University Press, 2008) and Speaking of Race and Class: The Student Experience at an Elite College (Temple University Press, 2013). I did follow-up interviews with the participants at age 30 examining participants' reflections on what they learned from exposure to race and class diversity during college and how that learning has impacted their lives. My new book, The Impact of College Diversity: Struggles and Successes at Age 30 was published by Temple University Press in April, 2023.