A CONTEXT FOR INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION

Having signed up for a Coursera Mooc (Massive Open Online Course) entitled "Understanding Russians: Contexts of Intercultural Communication" https://www.coursera.org/course/russians I've been wondering whether this course may be too highbrow and time-consuming, on the one hand, or the ideal opportunity to engage in a timely critical discourse, given the Ukraine-Russia crisis, on the other. Fortunately the need to make an immediate decision is unnecessary because an email from course leader, Mira Bergelson from the Higher School of Economics http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Research_University_%E2%80%93_Higher_School_of_Economics, earlier today informed me that: "May 1 through May 9 is Russian big holiday time. That’s why we had to postpone the course for two weeks altogether." Let's hope this message is also received by Russian separatists in Eastern Ukraine. A week's break to celebrate "The Day of Spring and Labour", which might extend to the release of peace observers and others recently taken prisoner, would be very welcome just now.