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Acknowledgments

While the authors are ultimately responsible for any shortcomings that you may find in Mezhdu nami, it should be noted that the curriculum bears the imprint of many other talented individuals, many of whom volunteered their time. Without the help of these individuals, Mezhdu nami would be far poorer in both form and content. Indeed, without these individuals the book would likely still be an unfufilled aspiration.

The creation of the online component and the layout of the Работа в аудитории (Classroom Activities) and Домашние задания (Homework Assignments) is primarily the work of five individuals working at the Open Language Resource Center (OLRC) at the University of Kansas:

Working together they produced a work of great complexity in an incredibly short timeline. Their insight informed the authors' conception of what an online textbook could be, and their creativity helped to solidify vaguely conceived issues of form and function.

The creation of the content of Mezhdu nami was aided immensely by a coterie of native speakers who provided both linguistic and cultural expertise. Their impact can be seen throughout, but is most noticable in the audio recordings that fill the book:

Anna Alsufieva Nila Friedberg Vladimir Golstein
Ilya Gutner Iryna Hniadzko Anna Karpusheva
Leon Kogan Anna Novikova Anastasia Selemeneva
Aleksandra Shalygina David Shiryayev Olesya Shtynko
Vitaliy Simankov Irina Six Evgenia Wilkins

Aric Toler and Mark Wayne also provided much needed detail to our descriptions of student life in Kazan' and Irkutsk, respectively.

Special thanks are due to the Graduate Teaching Assistants at the University of Kansas who used the materials in their earliest iterations and pointed out mistakes and shortcomings. Their willingness to be our partners in the classroom has been of invaluable assistance in smoothing out the rough edges of a new curriculum:

Matt Menzenski Elizabeth Burkum Megan Luttrell
Alexandra Fisher Jaron Castilleja

We are also very appreciative of the contributions of Katia McClain (UC Santa Barbara), Larry McLellan (UC Santa Barbara) and Molly Godwin-Jones (University of Kansas) to ongoing revisions and improvements, particularly the creation of keys for the workbook exercises.