Requirements
Requirements include the following three things: in-class exams, class participation, and a final outreach project. There are also several opportunities for extra credit. Details and breakdown are below:
1. Three In-Class Exams (25% each x 3 exams = 75% total)
There will be 3 non-cumulative exams in this course. Each exam will cover approximately 1/3 of the course material covered in lectures and readings. Exams may consist of multiple-choice, short-answer, and brief essay questions. The purpose of the exams is two-fold. First, you should be able to demonstrate that you have read the material and understand the factual points and arguments. Second, you should be able to synthesize and integrate the material such that this knowledge can be applied in a broader context. Exams will take place during class on the assigned date in the syllabus and will be closed book. There will be no make-up exams. Optional exam review sessions will be provided outside of regular class time before each exam to go over exam material and answer questions.
2. Outreach Project (15%)
This goal of this project is to delve into a topic in human emotion from class that excites you. You have the freedom to delve into a topic of your choice, but you must make sure the topic is pertinent to the class and scientific study of emotion. The project description will be provided on Tuesday, January 27 and due in class no later than 11:00am MT on Thursday, April 2. For each calendar day the project is turned in late, you will have 10% of your score deducted. Please email your final assignment to psych3131.emotion@gmail.com and do the following 3 things (1) Type “Psych 3131 Project” in subject line, (2) Include attachment (.doc or .docx format only), and (3) Paste text of paper in email body. Any additional components of your project (i.e., DVDs, posters, flyers, etc.) must also be turned in during class on Thursday April 2. The project will include 2 components:
Part I. Outreach project: The first part includes an outreach project where your goal is to help educate others about human emotion via a video, newspaper article, brochure, or a creative outreach idea of your own. The aim is to have fun with the ultimate goal of helping to educate others about human emotion. You can cover a topic of your choosing, but it must be relevant to the course and the study of emotion. There will be opportunities for top class projects to be featured in-class during the final week of the course. Additional details will be provided when the project is assigned in class on Tuesday, January 27.
Part II. 1-page research summary: The second part of the project involves writing a brief research summary on your chosen outreach project topic. The goal is to provide a summary of the motivation and scientific background in emotion that lies behind your research project. Additional details will be provided in class on Tuesday, January 27.
3. Classroom Participation (10%)
You are asked to come to class on time and to be well prepared. Part of your grade will include your degree of involvement in class. Specifically, this includes attending class; bringing questions, and responding to clicker questions. Your responses to clicker questions which will begin the third week of class i.e., Tuesday January 27) will be graded as response/no response, will provide information about the degree to which you are reading and thinking about assignments and class material. You must be present with your iClicker to receive credit. There are no make-up points if you miss a class or your clicker is not operating properly. Remotes for iClickers can be purchased at the CU Bookstore and should be registered individually for each student at MyCUInfo (http://www.colorado.edu/oit/tutorial/cuclickers-iclicker-remote-registration).
Extra Credit Opportunities
Extra credit opportunities are available for interested students. Each extra credit option (A or B) is worth 5% maximum of your total grade, for a total of 10% maximum applied to final course grade. These are the only extra credit opportunities are available for this course so take advantage of them!
Extra Credit Option A: Social Media and Emotion. An important piece of participating in the emerging field of human emotion is to help disseminate information about the field. Social media is an ever-increasing way to do this. We encourage students to post “scientifically relevant” information about emotion they find on twitter and link to the course account (#psych3131). Posts should take the form of scientific articles, news websites, local events, etc that are directly relevant to the science and psychology of emotion, are not already posted (by another student or from the course website) on the twitter account, and are recent (not older than 2014). If unsure, you can contact the course TAs (psych3131.emotion@gmail.com) before posting to ensure it fulfills these requirements. When submitting tweets, please do the following: (1) In the tweet, post the url link with a one-sentence description (e.g., “Study links meditation to increased happiness”), (2) Email psych3131.emotion@gmail.com with screenshot of posting and paste text and url from twitter posting in the body of the email. You can assume your post has been successfully received as an extra credit response unless you hear otherwise via email. For every 5 scientifically relevant responses submitted, you will receive 1% extra credit point toward your final grade, for a maximum of 5% total extra credit.
Note: https://twitter.com/psych3131 (#psych3131). All extra credit tweet assignments must be submitted beforethe last day of class (i.e., before 11:00am MT on Thursday April 30) to receive credit.Extra Credit Option B: Online Interviews with Emotion Experts. Each lecture in class will include a ~15-minute “Experts in Emotion Interview” containing a videotaped conversation with Professor Gruber and an expert scholar in emotion from the field freely available for viewing or download on YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLh9mgdi4rNew731mjIZn43G_Y5otqKzJA). For extra credit, you have the option to submit a 1-page, single-spaced, 12-pt Times New Roman font, reaction to watching the online interview that accompanies the specific class lecture, discussing and critically analyzing the major themes discussed in each video. Answers will be assigned one of the following three grades: ‘1’ (full credit), ‘1⁄2’ (half-credit), or ‘0’ (no credit). You can assume your response has been successfully received and graded a ‘1’ unless you hear otherwise via email. Responses are due no later than 11:00am MT before the subsequent lecture (i.e., videos watched in class Tuesday have extra credit responses due by 11:00am Thursday that week; videos watched in class Thursday have extra credit responses due by 11:00am the following Tuesday). No late extra credit responses are accepted. You will submit your responses to: psych3131.emotion@gmail.com with: (1) Full name, (2) Paste entire response in email body, (3) Attach document to email with responses as well (.doc or .docx format only):, and (4) You MUST include the following subject line in the email: LASTNAME_EIE_LastNameExpert.doc (Example: GRUBER_EIE_Gilbert.doc). Failure to follow directions will result in a grade of a ‘0.’For every 5 full-credit responses (i.e., assigned a grade of a ‘1’) submitted, you will receive 1% extra credit point toward your final grade, for a maximum of 5% total extra credit. A handout detailing requirements and format for this extra credit assignment will be provided to interested students by emailing psych3131.emotion@gmail.com or checking the course website.
Readings and Materials
Please read the assigned chapters and/or articles before the class meeting on the assigned date.
Textbook: Understanding Emotions, 3rd Edition. Oatley, Keltner, & Jenkins. Available for purchase at the CU Bookstore or online (e.g., www.amazon.com).
Articles: Articles outside of textbook will be available to download as PDF files off the course website.
Clicker: iclicker remotes can be purchased at the CU Bookstore and should be registered individually for each student at MyCUInfo http://www.colorado.edu/oit/tutorial/cuclickers-iclicker-remote-registration