Russian in Use: An Interactive Approach to Communicative Competence is a four-skill language textbook intended for advanced students of Russian. The book focuses on high-frequency, nonliterary topics of general interest: geography, education, politics, ecology, and Russians' perceptions of America. Each chapter contains preparatory vocabulary and user-friendly grammatical exercises supported by examples from contemporary popular literature. The lessons then provide practice using external resources; authentic reading texts; authentic, unscripted listening exercises (on a multi-media CD ROM, included with the text); and independent writing and speaking activities. The book emphasizes independent language production. Students examine topics from diverse perspectives and then are encouraged to develop and defend their own opinions in clear, colloquial standard Russian.

Russian in Use is accompanied by an instructor's manual, which contains keys to the exercises and transcripts of the listening passages.