Artur Poczwardowski, Psychology
Interviewed by Steve Maley
What style of writing do you expect from your psychology students?
Writing, in his eyes, is a teaching and learning tool. Dr. Poczwardowski
stresses structured research as a key component before
a student sits down to write. He expects writing in psychology classes to
follow APA guidelines. In most assignments, he desires a development
of self-reflection in order to deepen a student’s thought process. He wants
a student to let the information actually soak in and facilitate a personal
perspective on the subject at hand: what the studied material actually means
to you and how worthwhile it is.
Can you describe a typical writing assignment you give out?
Dr. P believes in thorough writing assignments, so a student has little
question about what is expected. He gives a brief overview of the
assignment and then relates the task to what the class has been studying or
a specific reading. Then he gives the specificities and details of the task
and clarifies expected questions that might be asked. Lastly, he reiterates
his expectations and gives a line of encouragement. He makes himself
available outside of class but feels that meeting with instructors is an
”under-utilized privilege by the student body.”
What things do you look for in revision or when grading a paper?
He stresses three holistic keys pertaining to a strong paper: ingredients,
passion, and reflection. Ingredients means whether or not the student is
capable of adhering to (and modifying his or her style if necessary) the
structure of writing expected. Next is passion, which he feels is one of
the most important aspects in writing, taking into consideration how well
the student presented the topic and the type of language they used. He feels
he can always tell by the writer's style whether a student was into the
assignment. Lastly, because he encourages reflection and relating a topic
to your own beliefs, he looks for the emergence of a response. This
response should have some reference back to the topic, however, or the paper
will seemingly bounce around.