The paper is part of a broader research aimed at the study of constituent features and mechanisms of positive communication. Its goal is to create a verbal portrait of a positive communicator in the Russian sociocultural context and to outline the peculiarities of positive human interaction. The research shows that the key features ascribed to a positive communicator by respondents of a survey carried out in the process of investigation are optimism, empathy, activism, leadership, ingenuity, inner harmony and intellect.

The article presents an analysis of Chinese urban semiotics which makes it possible to trace the dynamic changes associated with social processes in Chinese society and to identify their national and cultural specifics. The study is conducted from the perspective of media urbanism, in which the city is interpreted as a complex communicative system, which is reflected in verbal and non-verbal semiotic signs.

The paper focuses on the film Enemy at the Gates (2001) and its discussion on Russian Internet sites in order to reveal the portrayal of the Stalingrad Battle by Western cinematographers and its perception by Russian viewers. Methodologically, the research relies on narrative analysis to establish the factors which must be taken into account while creating a narrative film about an alien culture.

The paper addresses the influence of ethical considerations on the choice of research methods and the investigation process. The ethical norms are summed up the following main categories: 1) honesty and integrity in research; 2) acknowledgement of the intellectual contribution of other scholars; 3) relationship with the public; 4) moral values asserted or contradicted by the research. The paper also analyses the ethical norms functioning in the Internet, as well as problems arising in intercultural research communication.