1. Compose and conduct interviews with Sochi residents (on cultural concepts, points of national pride, changes in Russian society and in the city of Sochi, life-style habits) Compare with examples of similar interviews in Pesmen (2002), Russia and Soul: An Exploration
2. Observe classroom practices, verbal and non-verbal interactions and cultural scripts in Russian schools (from pre-schools to universities), collect data on similarities and differences with US. Compare with examples in Mills (1999), ''Teacher Talk' in the Russian and American Classroom.''
3. Explore communicative genres in public space of the city: Observe the use of verbal and non-verbal communication in public transportation, market places, banks, restaurants etc. [use of pronouns, terms of address, diminutives, intonation and word-order, verbal and non-verbal back-channel responses, proximics and cultural scripts]. Compare with: Kitaigorodskaia & Rozanova (2007).
4. Cultural concepts and borrowings from English in city texts: Billboards, ads, names of the stores and restaurants. Compare with Rozina (2007).
1. Compose a questionnaire for Sochi residents concerning health problems along the lines one would use in the US. Discuss the questionnaire with your interpreter. Which questions did s/he find strange or unrealistic? Compare the outcome with: Wierzbicka, (2002) ''Russian cultural scripts''
2. Explore issues in medical communication through interpreter: compare field notes with problems in: Bolden, G. (2000). [PDF: www.RussianCA.org ]
3. Explore city medical discourse: what's advertised, described and believed to be healthy? Attend public markets and observe the types of foods, ''natural'' herbs, and other items that are available for purchase that help people stay or get healthy. [Compare the projected image of the consumer, Lears 1994]
4. Investigate the functions of questions in medical face-to-face interaction. Compare the types of questions that the Russian doctor asks (your field-notes) with the questions asked by medical providers in: Heritage, (2002) "The Limits of Questioning: Negative Interrogatives."
5. Issues in non-verbal communication: compare your field observations with: Heath, C. 1986 Body Movement and Speech in Medical Interaction. New York: Cambridge UP
