Vincent Rizzo reflects on his experience combining Psychology & Professional Writing.
Vincent Rizzo, among many things, is an avid learner and a compulsive analyzer. When he's not overthinking or engaging in deep discussions while giving informal lectures on something that people may or may not care about, he's most likely indulging in something super creative (like anime), cracking jokes and laughing too loudly with the people he loves, or going on long prayer walks. He's now writing epic stories through the medium of novel writing.
I've found that studying both Psychology and Professional Writing has made me a much sharper thinker. Both disciplines are great for bolstering analytical and critical thinking skills not to mention communication skills. In particular, my attention to detail has improved as well as my ability to contextually analyze a text or a person's communication. I've also gotten involved with Existere, a literary journal managed by Professional Writing students, as a junior editor, so that has also helped with sharpening those skills, too.
Both programs have highlighted the significant influence of context in how we interpret situations, people, and texts. By studying Psychology and Professional Writing at the same time, I now have a much more intimate and holistic understanding of the effects of context, which is extremely important since to be a critical thinker and a sharp communicator you need to understand that context really drives the interpretation and meaning of everything.
I've been amazed by the overlap between Psychology and Professional Writing. I've found that taking them together can make one a much more powerful thinker. Personally, I now look forward to using my bolstered skills to thrive in life (as those skills can be used for a lot of good in professional endeavours and relationships) and to pursue my side passion for writing novels.
I don't hesitate to recommend that Psychology students take, at the very least, few Professional Writing courses.
In my experience, Professional Writing helps students sharpen their thinking and communication skills. Another thing, as someone with a speaking disability, I also recommend Professional Writing for people who have speaking difficulties since becoming a sharp (conscious) writer can empower them and make them more employable, as it has done for me.
What drew me to Professional Writing was taking a couple of writing courses as electives. The courses were Becoming a Better Writer and Grammar and Proofreading and were taught by Prof. Jon Sufrin and Prof. Dunja Baus respectively. I took those specific courses because at the time my technical skills in writing were poor, and I really wanted to improve my communication skills.
I decided to pursue a Professional Writing Minor after discovering the interesting and important principles and fundamentals of the writing craft through those courses and the amazing profs who taught them. In the Minor, I was able to pursue the craft of writing at greater depths. Moreover, the course selection for Professional Writing is very diverse and interesting, which is very attractive for people who love to learn and seek to sharpen their skills.
Professional Writing pairs well with many subjects! Contact us to learn more about taking Professional Writing as a double Major or Minor.