TEXT: Understanding Motivation and Emotion, 4th Edition
Johnmarshall Reeve. New York: Wiley, 2004.
Selected videos, journal articles and other readings as will be assigned in class.
THE CLASS:
The course is a theoretical and empirical review of the psychological and physiological bases of human emotion and motivation
with an emphasis on major theories and research approaches.
During the first half of the semester we will consider the topic of emotion, primarily focusing on the development of
the neuro-cultural theory, with consideration of the interplay of biology and social learning on the experience of emotion.
Particular emphasis will be placed on the investigations of nonverbal behavior and how those investigations
presaged a renewed examination of the neurological substrates of the affective system. The second half of the semester
will see a parallel focus on the topic of motivation, re-examining the interplay of biology and learning on the motivational process.
To the extent possible in the "lecture" format, research methodology will be illustrated and demonstrated with in-class
exercises.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
Students completing this course should (a) be able to identify the major theoretical approaches and theoreticians in the complementary
fields of emotion and motivation; (b) be able to deliniate the contributions of culture and physiology to an understanding
of these phenomona; (c) have a basic understanding of the design and implementation of research methodology
appropriate to the study of motivation and emotion; (d) be conversant with applications of the theoretical information
in real-life situations.
CLASS PROCESS:
Students enrolling in an advanced upper division course
assume a greater responsibility for working independently than is usually expected in lower
division and/or introductory courses. Students in this course should understand that
they are responsible for reading and studying the material in the textbook and any other assigned
readings, whether or not that material is covered in the class lectures, discussions and exercises.
The class presentations will serve to illustrate and/or augment some aspects of the topic of the
assigned reading, but not necessarily with any specific reference to that reading. The class
presentations will proceed with the assumption that the students have read the assigned material
before attending the class. Classroom participation and discussions of the subject matter are expected and encouraged. If no
questions are asked it will be assumed that the material under consideration has been understood.
Roll will be taken at the beginning of the class each day throughout the semester.
One point toward the final grade will counted for each day when a student is present and
on time when the roll is taken.
EXAMS:
Each of exams counts for about 25 points. The three highest grades will be added, and the lowest
grade dropped. Thus, the exams will account for about seventy percent
of the total course grade. There will be no make-up exams.
The exams will consist of a mixture of multiple-choice and short answer questions. As a rough
guide, students can anticipate that about a third of the exam questions will be on material covered
only in the class presentations, a third on material covered in both the reading and in the
classroom, and about a third on material covered only in the assigned reading. The textbook is
very well organized: the chapter headings, subheadings, and sections form a good outline for
studying the material, and liberal use of bold-face and italics serve to further indicate especially
important concepts. No formal review for exams will be prepared by the professor.
POP QUIZZES:
Pop quizzes may occur at any time, and can contribute from 1 to 5 points depending on the
nature of the question(s) asked. There will be no make-up for missed pop quizzes.
JOURNAL ARTICLE RESEARCH AND PRESENTATION
Each student will search the literature for a recently published research paper on the topic of emotion or motivation. The student will prepare an abstract of the paper, and make an oral presentation of a summary of the research to the class.
- Presentations given prior to October 16 will be on the topic of emotion. Presentations given after October 16 will be on the topic of motivation.
- Students will commit to a presentation date by signing up on the list which will be made available during the class hour.
- The research paper will have been published during 2005, 2006, 2007, or 2008.
- The paper will have been published in print, in a professional peer-reviewed social-science journal.
- The student will retrieve and work from the original source.
- At least one day prior to the student’s presentation a copy of the paper’s abstract will be emailed to the professor and each member of the class..
- The student will have a copy of the full journal article available during the presentation, from which to answer any questions about the research from the class and/or professor.
The presentations will count ten points toward the final grade. Deviations from the above list will result in a reduction of credit.
GRADES:
The total possible points from the required items (exams, research article presentation quizzes, attendence) will be scaled to 100, and
the course grade curve will be determined from these points. The professor will determine the letter grades
as a curve function of the distribution of scores in the class. Past experience suggests the
breakpoints usually fall at about 90, 80, 70, and 60 percent for A, B, C, and D respectively.
OFFICE HOURS AND CONTACTING THE PROFESSOR:
Office hour for Prof. Boucher is on Tuesday 12:00-1:00 in KA G55. Please use email for any other out-of-class contact:
| | Email: | boucherj@usfca.edu |
| | URL: | http://www.usfca.edu/~boucherj |
PROFESSOR:
Dr. Boucher studied psycholinguistics with Charles E. Osgood at the University of Illinois, and
social psychology and nonverbal emotional behavior with Paul Ekman at the University of
California, San Francisco. In 1971 through 1973 he lived in Malaysia, researching the nonverbal
and emotional behavior of Malaysians, including residence in a forest village
of the Temuan Aborigines. From 1974 through 1989 he was a member of the senior academic
staff of the East-West Center in Honolulu, Hawaii, and was a member of the affiliate graduate faculty of the departments of
communication and psychology at the University of Hawaii. He served as Research Psychologist
at the University of California, San Francisco; Adjunct Professor of Communication at the
University of Arizona; and Visiting Professor of Psychology at Western Washington State
University. He has taught and performed research in many different countries, and has published
extensively in the areas of emotional behavior, ethnic conflict and cultural relations.
| SCHEDULE: |
| Aug 28 | Course Introduction, Class Overview, and Administrivia |
| Sept 2 - 4 | Chapter 1. Introduction |
| Sept 9, 11,16 | Chapter 11: Nature of Emotion: Five Perennial Questions |
| Sept 18 | Exam 1 |
| Sept 20, 23 | Chapter 12: Aspects of Emotion |
Sept 30
Oct 2 | Chapter 13: Personality Characteristics |
| Oct 7, 9 | Chapter 3: The Motivated and Emotional Brain |
| Oct 14 | Exam 2 |
| Oct 16 | Chapter 2: Motivation in Historical and Contemporary Perspectives |
| Oct 21 | Chapter 4: Physiological Needs |
| Oct 23 | Chapter 5: Psychological Needs |
| Oct 28, 30 | Chapter 6: Intrinsic Motivation and Types of Extrinsic Motivation |
| Nov 4 | Chapter 7: Social Needs |
| Nov 6 | Exam 3 |
| Nov 11 | Chapter 8: Goals |
| Nov 13 | Chapter 9: Personal Control Beliefs |
| Nov 18 | Chapter 10: The Self and Is Strivings |
| Nov 20 | Chapter 14: Unconscious Motivation |
| Nov 25 | Chapter 15: Growth Motivation and Positive Psychology |
| Dec 2 | Chapter 16: Conclusion |
| Dec 15 | Final Exam (Monday, 12:00 ) |
This page partial updated 8/27/2008 jdb
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