The purpose of this chapter is to analyse, comparatively, the possibilities that are offered to learners by these two platforms. One of the main aspects is that learners find themselves in an international environment, since they are among students from all over the world. Here we can clearly notice the advantages of English as a lingua franca, which unites such a diverse community of learners around a topic of common interest. For both platforms, audio and video materials are available, together with the possibility of students and teachers interacting on the forums, for Coursera, or in the below the video discussions, for FutueLearn. Collaborative learning is also encouraged, as some courses can ask students to use Padlet to work together or other such sites. The sense of community is built by rapport with the teachers they appears on video, through common tasks, and through peer to peer discussions.

The purpose of the present paper is to examine the particular case of Romania, where religion and nationalism go hand in hand to the present day. Particularities related to Orthodoxy will be taken in view, together with historical circumstances. What is more, the way Romanians are, in the majority, religious, will be considered as a factor determining the strong connection of religion and nationalism, of religious and patriotic symbolism, of viewing war heroes as martyrs sacrificing themselves in a religious manner for the good of their country.

The purpose of this paper is to present, from the perspective of intercultural communication, how foreign languages, and especially English, could be taught to students at the Technical University of Civil Engineering Bucharest, Romania. Starting from what they claim their expectations with respect to how foreign languages would help them in their future jobs, we could devise lessons following several aspects. Among these, the fact that English is a lingua franca, and also the language of intercultural competence at the world level, shows why most students opt to study English. Another aspect has to do with skills that can be taught during foreign language seminars. What is more, awareness of differences among cultures and cultural-specific features could also be included. Last but not least, organizational culture also matters, since in their future jobs, students will need to establish business cooperation and may also need to communicate efficiently with an international team.

The purpose of this chapter is to analyze the implications of freedom of speech regarding political discussions on social media platforms, such as Facebook. The paper will look at the following aspects: the occasion when social media users have to discuss politics as a hobby and as a means to keep their ideas out of the view of face-to-face social circles, to engage in social issues and even be part of protests, to discuss politicians’ public image, and attempt to change some users’ perception about it. Within social media, we witness debates or simple displays of emotions, allowing users to speak their minds and interact with other users, showing empathy toward them. The benefits of this are related to the therapeutic effects of speaking about what upsets them or angers them and finding like-minded users.