Friends Beyond Borders: Cultural Variations in Close Friendship

Roger Baumgarte earned his doctorate in cognitive research psychology from Bowling Green University and then taught at Winthrop University in South Carolina. For the last twenty years, he has specialized in cross-cultural psychology, focusing his research on cultural differences in close friendships. As a popular professor, he won campus-wide awards for his work with students, and especially enjoyed serving as director of the International Center, where he advised international students coming to campus as well as U.S. students studying abroad. Roger spent yearlong leaves of absence from Winthrop teaching at the American University in Paris and for the University of Maryland overseas program in South Korea. He speaks fluent French, much less fluent Spanish, and a smattering of Korean, Italian, Russian, and Polish. In addition to his research on friendship, he has provided numerous workshops aimed at helping immigrants and visitors adjust to living and working in the U.S.