Motivation & Emotion
PSY 400-134g-01
Spring 2007
Dr. Kim MacLin
Class Time: TR 11-12:15pm
Class Location: Sabin Hall 207
This Syllabus is Subject to Change. Last Modified 1/18/07
Course Description:
In this course you will investigate the major factors underlying human actions. What moves us into action? This course focuses on "why." Why is it that people behave the way they do? We will cover the major areas that motivate our behavior including genetic and environmental influences, pleasure and need seeking, the role of personality in motivation and how goals, incentives and emotions influence our behavior. Being an upper level course, my expectation is that you will read the chapters, pay attention and participate in class, and put concerted effort into the writing assignments. In other words, I'm expecting you to be motivated! In order to encourage you to behave in this way, I will strive to create an interesting, engaging and maybe even fun classroom environment. Your work will be evaluated by me and your TAs, and you will be rewarded accordingly (with points!).
This Syllabus:
This syllabus is our contract. Therefore, it is lengthy and detailed. It clearly states your obligations to me, and mine to you. Imagine any complaints you might have about a course (particularly after the fact, and if you didn’t get the grade you wanted): and look for those possible complaints in this syllabus. If there is something you don’t like, TAKE A DIFFERENT COURSE! Staying in this course beyond the first day indicates to me a commitment to learn in this type of environment.
Have questions about the course? Check your syllabus first! Very likely the information you want is here! I do my very best to anticipate your questions. When you have a question, CHECK YOUR SYLLABUS. Announcements made in class “count” just as much as policies outlined in the written syllabus. The course website/WebCT will always have the most recent version of the syllabus.
Contacting Me:
Not that I don’t want to talk to you in person (!) but email is the most efficient and reliable way to reach me. When you do contact me (by email or phone message) please include your first and last name and which class you are in (I teach other classes besides this one).
Email: kim.maclin@uni.edu
Phone: 273-2302
Office: Baker Hall 344
Office Hours: TR 1-2pm, and by appointment
TA: Carla Pasker (cpasker@uni.edu) and Matt Christensen (christem@uni.edu)
Class Communication: I often will communicate with you through an email listserv. Your UNI email address is the one these messages go to. If you add the class late, you may not be on the list. Information about this listserv is available on the course's WebCT page and on my website. Announcements made over email are typically extremely important. It is YOUR responsibility to make sure you are receiving these emails. Click here to add yourself to the email listerv if you are not receiving class emails so far, OR if you prefer to receive the messages at a non-UNI email address.
Required Texts:
Franken, R. E. (2007). Human motivation, 6e, Thomson-Wadsworth: Belmont CA. ISBN: 0-495-09081-6
1 book for your book report (see below)
Course Information
Course information is available in two places, WebCT and my own website. Your grades, assignments and course information are available via WebCT. Duplicate course information (like your syllabus and the course calendar) are also available via my website.
Course Information Website: http://fp.uni.edu/maclink/motivation_emotion.htm
Course Assignments and Grades: http://webct.uni.edu (WebCT)
Class Attendance:
Class attendance is critical. I do not take roll. But you will miss valuable information and participation points if you choose not to attend class. If attendance is low, I may have a class assignment. These cannot be made up. If you cannot attend class on a particular day, your best bet is to send me an email, or to leave a phone message at my office PRIOR TO YOUR ABSENCE. Talking to me after the fact does not ensure that I will be sympathetic or helpful in any way!
Homework:
There are 2 types of homework assignments: (1) movie analyses from movies watched in class; and (2) reflections-personal reflections relating your life to chapter material. See webct for individual assignment information.
Homework assignments are posted on WebCT. Homework is submitted directly from WebCT and is due by 11am on the day it is listed.
You are required to write a book report for this course. Click here for the book options (choosing a book title is also one of your homeworks and thus is also available on WebCT). The book report is worth 100 points. The report should be 2000 words long, typed, and in APA style. Here is a sample. Note that the body of your paper goes in between these two elements, and are numbered accordingly. You indicate the book you will be doing your book report on and your chosen deadline in HW1. You will be submitting your book report to www.turnitin.com where I will verify that your work has not been plagiarized. You will also turn in an identical hard copy to me on the day that it is due.
Quizzes:
Quiz 1 is worth 50 points and covers lectures, readings, videos and hws up until that point. Quiz 2 covers all of the material since Quiz 1 and is also worth 50 points.
Extra Credit:
1) You can earn extra credit by participating in experiments. Go HERE. (2 pts per credit hour). Trouble logging in? Contact Rakhi Patel rp468304@uni.edu
2) By writing article summaries. You may write a 500 word summary for any or all of these research articles (you need to be on campus to view/print these articles) (2pts per summary).
Article #1 Social and Sexual Motivation in the Mouse
Article #2 The Effects of Cooperation and Competition on Intrinsic Motivation and Performance
Article #3 Psychobiological Theories of Smoking and Smoking Motivation
3) You can also earn extra credit by attending a half (5 points) or full (10 points) day of the UNI Student Research Conference. There will be signup sheets at the conference.
4) By doing psychological movie reviews. These are available in WebCT. (2pts per review)
You may receive a MAXIMUM of 20 extra credit points for the semester (from any of the above options).
GRADUATE STUDENTS: To receive graduate credit you are required to do an extra assignment. It can be in the form of a literature review paper, a research proposal, or a consulting challenge project. It is due at the end of the course. Details to come. (100pts)
Grading Scale: NOTICE there are no plusses and minuses given
A=90% of possible points
B=80-89% of possible points
C=70-79% of possible points
D=60-69% of possible points
F=less than 60% of possible points
I round up for .5 or above (example, 89.5% would be a 90% and thus an A; 89.4% would be rounded down for 89% which is a B).
Participation/In Class assignments = to be determined
Homework = 290 (Movie analyses are worth 20pts each, all other hws are worth 10pts each)
Quizzes = 100 (2 @ 50pts each)
Book Report = 100 points
Total 590 (690 for GRADS) possible points (+ participation points)
Check WebCt regularly to ensure that your grades are being recorded correctly and so that you know of your standing in the class. Grade disputes must be reconciled within 2 weeks of being posted.
If you have a disability that could affect your performance in this class:
UNI is committed to equal opportunity in education for all students, including those with documented physical disabilities or documented learning disabilities. It is the responsibility of students to contact the Office of Disability Services (213 Student Services Center-273-2676) to arrange for documentation and accommodation.
If you have University sponsored obligations that require you to miss class:
It is your responsibility to contact me during the first week of class to let me know of your obligations throughout the semester. As soon as you receive your paperwork detailing the days you will miss class, please provide me with a copy for my files. It is STILL your responsibility, however, to remind me by email at least a day before you are going to miss a class due to your approved obligations, so that we can arrange for any work you might miss. It is your responsibility to ensure that you get makeup assignments from me immediately upon your return. You will need to get class notes from a fellow student.
Cheating & Plagiarism:
DON’T CHEAT! Cheating is any sort of activity that results in you turning in work (quizzes, homeworks, book reports, extra credit) where you are not the SOLE contributor and developer of the ideas. You are bound to the University's ethics policies.
Very Bad Things to Do that Will Get YOU in BIG TROUBLE
(if I catch you, and I catch a lot of people)
Googling a movie review to see what a movie is about so you can write an extra credit assignment on it
Asking your friend to tell you what a movie is about so you can write an extra credit assignment on it
Digging back into your foggy memory of a movie you saw a million years ago and writing an extra credit assignment on it
Googling to find a paper that you can use as a model for your book report
Purchasing any sort of paper on the Internet
Copying/pasting any content off of the Internet into ANY assignment for this course
Reading summaries, reviews, articles about your book report book and writing (or copying) about that content as if it were your own
AND MANY MORE DEVIOUS ACTIVITIES.......
DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT