Psychology of Emotion
Course Syllabus
PSY-150-1
Spring Semester 2015
Location: Murchison Gym, Room 4
Time: MWF 12:45 – 1:50pm
Instructor: Dr. Carmel Saad
Office: Winter Hall 335
Phone: (805) 565-6884
E-mail: csaad@westmont.edu
Office Hours: Monday-Friday 11:00am-12:00pm or by appt.
Required Texts:
Shiota, M. N., & Kalat, J. W. (2012). Emotion (2nd ed.).
Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.
American Psychological Association (2010). Publication manual of the American Psychological
Association (6th ed.). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
Course Learning Outcomes:
The primary objective of the course is to provide you with a background of the main content areas of the
psychology of emotion, including major theories and methodological techniques used in emotion research. The
psychology of emotion is the scientific study of the nature of emotional experiences, including theories of how
we experience emotions subjectively and physiologically. Emotion researchers also examine the evolution of
emotions and compare the emotional experiences of people in different cultures. Moreover, the study of
emotion examines how emotions develop as well as how emotions influence and are influenced by personality
and cognitive processes. These issues have been pondered for centuries, but the psychology of emotion is
unique in that it applies the scientific method to investigate such topics.
Psychologists not only develop theories, but they use empirical research to identify which theories are
good and can be put to practical use. In this course, we will learn about these basic tenets of the psychology of
emotion, how to interpret and evaluate relevant research findings, and how principles of the course can be
applied to everyday life and psychological practice. For example, the course will highlight research in how
clinical psychologists help individuals manage their emotional experiences in a responsible and healthy manner.
Thus, this course is designed to enable students to:

Build a knowledge-base of historically significant research (“classical studies”) and major
theories within the field of emotion research.

Demonstrate knowledge of basic research methods and critical thinking skills in emotion
research.

Competently communicate both orally and in writing within the field of psychology and
according to the style of the American Psychological Association.

Explore the relationships between the goals, methods, and knowledge of the field of emotion
research and personal development, allied academic disciplines, and the Christian faith.
Prerequisites: PSY 001 (General Psychology)
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Learning Goals and Outcomes for Psychology of Emotion
In addition to advancing knowledge that is specific to Psychology of Emotion, this course also addresses the
broader Student Learning Standards that the College has established.
The psychology department has identified specific, assessable learning outcomes (named in parentheses below),
and has associated each outcome with a college-wide goal (identified in bold below). Learning outcomes most
pertinent to Psychology of Emotion are checked in the list below:

Knowledge Base: Students will demonstrate the ability to identify, recognize, or otherwise
articulate key theories and principles of psychology of emotion (Department Goal: Knowledge
Base)

Written and Oral Communication: Students will be responsible for an oral research
presentation as well as a written literature review, utilizing both primary and scholarly sources,
on a selected topic in the field of emotion research (Department Goal: Written and Oral
Communication)

Christian Understanding/Practices/Affections: Students will better understand the nuances of
the psychology of emotion, and they will be better able to construct a worldview that
encompasses disciplinary concepts of Christian theology and tradition (Department Goal: Values
and Character)
Critical and Interdisciplinary Thinking: Students will critically examine the foundational
concepts for contemporary areas of emotion research, and they will more deeply appreciate the
multi-disciplinary forces at work in psychology of emotion (Department Goal: Scientific
Research Methods and Skills)

Research and Information Literacy: Students will need to use databases and search engines to
locate appropriate sources, and they will need to filter and focus within their sources to construct
a coherent written assignment and oral presentation on their selected topic (Department Goal:
Scientific Research Methods and Skills)
Diversity and Global Awareness: Students will engage as active global citizens with an
awareness of cultural diversity, one’s own culture/s, and the responsibility of self towards others.
(Department Goal: Values and Character)
Active Societal/ Intellectual/ Engagement: Students will engage as active agents in their local
communities, bringing their intellectual and academic abilities and interests to bear on improving
the lives of those around them (Department Goal: Applications)
Creative Expression: Students will recognize the creative aspects of theory construction,
experimental design, application and collaborative work in psychology of emotion, and
demonstrate such creativity in their own disciplinary work (Department Goal: Scientific
Research Methods and Skills)
We encourage students to visit the departmental web page and talk with their academic advisors for more
information about learning outcomes and goals, and about the structure of our curriculum.
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Administrative Details:
1. Course Website
Links to this syllabus, lectures, class announcements, and any assignments/handouts can be accessed through
the course website, managed by Canvas. The website is westmont.instructure.com
2. Attendance & Participation
Class attendance is important, because learning occurs best when students can listen, ask questions about, and
discuss the topics in a communal setting (such as a classroom). Material covered in class will appear on the
exams. Attendance will be evaluated based on classroom participation and completion of in-class assignments.
These in-class assignments cannot be made up if you miss class.
3. Exams
There will be two in-class exams, each covering roughly 1/3 of the assigned readings and lectures. There will
also be a final exam on May 7th in MG 4. Each exam will consist of 50 multiple-choice questions and 2 short
essay questions. Each exam has a maximum score of 70 points (50 points for multiple choice and 10 points for
each of the 2 short essay questions). Arriving late to exams will result in a failing grade on that exam.
None of the exams are cumulative. There will be no make-up exams without written justification from a doctor.
In the case that a make-up exam cannot be avoided, it will be all-essay in nature.
Exam material will be based on information in lectures as well as in the textbook. There will be some overlap
in the two sources of information, but there will also be concepts in the book not discussed in lecture and vice
versa. You will be responsible for all material in both the lecture notes and the assigned chapters in the
textbook.
Examination Schedule:
Exam #1: February 27th
Exam #2: March 27th
Final Exam: May 7th
All exams will be administered in MG Room 4.
4. Poster Presentation
You will select an empirical research article that highlights an area of the psychology of emotion in which you
are interested. You will present it as a poster to your peers. This will be similar to a professional conference
poster presentation. Empirical research studies present original data. They include sections describing
participants, methods, and results. Your article should come from a peer-reviewed journal that normally
publishes studies in emotion research. You will summarize the Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion
in your own words and organize them on the poster. You will print the poster ahead of time at FedEx Kinkos.
Details on how to do this will be given closer to the poster presentation date.
During lecture on April 8th and 10th, you will stand with your poster and discuss the study with your peers.
The audience will be moving around the room, so you can expect to have a continual stream of 1-2 peers
discussing your poster with you. You will need to prepare a short (4-minute) verbal ‘introduction’ to your poster
where you address the questions “What did they do? Why did they do it? What did they find? Why is this
important?” You will also need to be able to answer questions, draw conclusions, and discuss this area of
research. You can find examples of posters by coming to see Dr. Saad during office hours. You cannot make
this presentation up at a later date, so you must be able to present on BOTH 04/08 and 04/10 in order to
receive points for this assignment.
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5. Literature Review
In order to assess your mastery of utilizing primary sources in psychology to communicate in APA style, you
will complete a final paper. This paper will be in the form of a literature review, in which you find several
articles using PsycINFO. These articles should be related to a certain topic in emotion research. Your task is to
summarize the main argument within these articles in the form of a “main argument” (e.g., thesis statement or
hypothesis). You will then support this thesis statement by the arguments made in each article. You will
explicitly explain how each article supports your overall thesis statement. These connections between each
article and your thesis statement should be clear and concise. This paper will also test your mastery of
understanding research methods in psychology as well as give you an opportunity to practice applying the
knowledge that you’ve gained about reading and comprehending research studies written in APA style.
The literature review is due on April 22nd. It should adhere to APA style and include a title page and references
section. The paper is worth 100 points; 5 points will be deducted for each day the paper is late. The paper will
be a literature review of a specific topic within the psychology of emotion. You may choose any area you
please. The bulk of points will be given for effectively linking the articles you review in your literature review
with your overarching thesis statement. Additional information will be provided in class prior to the deadline;
you may also want to discuss the assignment with Dr. Saad.
In order to make a coherent argument, please review the literature in the field of emotion and find at least four
(4) journal articles that address the question and review the findings from each article. The following list of
journals typically publishes work on emotion research: Emotion, Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, Journal
of Experimental Social Psychology, Journal of Personality, Journal of Research on Personality, Journal of
Personality and Social Psychology, Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, Social Psychological and
Personality Science, Psychological Science. You can access these journals through the PsycInfo database.
Remember, your paper will be graded with explicit reference to the summary of findings from these articles and
how you use these findings to support your thesis statement. Points will be lost if your paper contains
distracting grammatical problems.
6. Grading
Your grade in this course will be based on your performance on the following criteria:
o Examinations – 3 x 15% = 45%
o Poster Presentation – 15%
o Research Paper – 20%
o Class Attendance and Participation – 20%
Grades will be distributed in the following manner:
A+: 98-100%
A: 93-97%
A-: 90-92%
B+: 88-89%
B: 83-87%
B-: 80-82%
C+: 78-79%
C: 73-77%
C-: 70-72%
D+: 68-69%
D: 63-67%
D-: 60-62%
F: ≤ 59%
7. Academic Honesty
All students are expected to subscribe to the highest ideals of academic integrity. Any form of
academic dishonesty will be dealt with as severely as allowed by the college, most likely a grade of
F in the course and recommendation of dismissal from the college. “Academic dishonesty” includes,
but is not limited to, plagiarism, cheating, and falsification. Please refer to the College’s policy on
Academic Honesty.
Plagiarism. The current plagiarism document can be found at
http://www.westmont.edu/_offices/provost/plagiarism/plagiarism_policy.html
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You are required to read this and email your acknowledgement of the policy to the instructor before
you turn in the first writing assignment. According to Westmont’s plagiarism policy document,
To plagiarize is to present someone else's work—his or her words, line of thought, or organizational
structure—as your own. This occurs when sources are not cited properly, or when permission is not
obtained from the original author to use his or her work. Another person's "work" can take many
forms: printed or electronic copies of computer programs, musical compositions, drawings,
paintings, oral presentations, papers, essays, articles or chapters, statistical data, tables or figures,
etc. In short, if any information that can be considered the intellectual property of another is used
without acknowledging the original source properly, this is plagiarism.
Please familiarize yourself with the entire Westmont College Plagiarism Policy. This document
defines different levels of plagiarism and the penalties for each. It also contains very helpful
information on strategies for avoiding plagiarism. It cannot be overemphasized that plagiarism is an
insidious and disruptive form of academic dishonesty. For tips on how to avoid plagiarism, please
visit www.westmont.edu/_offices/provost/Plagiarism/PlagiarismStudentInformation.html
8. Helpful Resources
Academic Accommodations
Students who have been diagnosed with a disability (learning, physical/medical, or psychological)
are strongly encouraged to contact the Disability Services office as early as possible to discuss
appropriate accommodations for this course. Formal accommodations will only be granted for
students whose disabilities have been verified by the Disability Services office. These
accommodations may be necessary to ensure your full participation and the successful completion of
this course. For more information, contact Sheri Noble, Director of Disability Services (565-6186,
snoble@westmont.edu) or visit the website: http://www.westmont.edu/_offices/disability
Writer’s Corner
Writer’s Corner, the campus writing center, is an academic support service free for all students. Peer
tutors are available to help you with invention (getting started), arrangement (getting organized),
APA style, thesis statements, paragraph development and structure, and integrating sources. One-onone tutorials are held in Voskuyl Library (VL 215). Open hours are typically from 4-11 p.m. on
Monday through Thursday and from 6-11 p.m. on Sunday. Drop-ins are welcome, though keep in
mind that the writing center will be busier during peak times of the semester (before mid-term and
each holiday break) as well as later in the evening (9-11 p.m.). For more information, visit the
writing center website: (http://www.westmont.edu/_academics/departments/english/writerscorner.html).
Counseling Center
Personal concerns such as stress, anxiety, relationship difficulties, depression, cross-cultural
differences, etc., can interfere with a student’s ability to succeed and thrive in college. For helpful
resources, contact the Counseling Center on campus. Their website is
www.westmont.edu/_offices/counseling/
9. Course and Reading Schedule
Below you will find the tentative course and reading schedule. Please be aware that this syllabus
and its contents are subject to change. Changes will be announced in class and students are expected
to note any changes at that time. Being absent is not an excuse for being uninformed.
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SPRING 2015 TENTATIVE COURSE & READING SCHEDULE
Week
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Topic
Date
Reading
January 12
Introduction & Overview
January 14
The Nature of Emotion
Chapter 1
January 16
The Nature of Emotion
Chapter 1
January 19
Martin Luther King Holiday
NO CLASS
January 20
The Nature of Emotion
Chapter 1
January 21
The Evolution of Emotion
Chapter 2
January 23
The Evolution of Emotion
Chapter 2
January 26
The Evolution of Emotion
Chapter 2
January 28
Culture and Emotion
Chapter 3
January 30
Culture and Emotion
Chapter 3
February 2
Culture and Emotion
Chapter 3
February 4
Emotion and the Body
Chapter 4
February 6
Emotion and the Body
Chapter 4
February 9
Emotion and the Body
Chapter 4
February 11
Emotion and the Brain
Chapter 5
February 13
Emotion and the Brain
Chapter 5
February 16
Presidents’ Holiday
NO CLASS
February 18
Emotion and the Brain
Chapter 5
February 20
Emotion Regulation
Chapter 6
February 23
Emotion Regulation
Chapter 6
February 25
Emotion Regulation
Chapter 6
February 27
Exam 1
Chapters 1-6
March 2
Fear and Anxiety
Chapter 7
March 4
Fear and Anxiety
Chapter 7
March 6
Anger and Disgust
Chapter 8
March 9
Anger and Disgust
Chapter 8
March 11
Love
Chapter 9
March 13
Love
Chapter 9
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11
12
March 16
Happiness
Chapter 10
March 18
Happiness
Chapter 10
March 20
Self-Conscious Emotions
Chapter 11
March 23
Self-Conscious Emotions
Chapter 11
March 25
Self-Conscious Emotions
Chapter 11
March 27
Exam 2
March 30
Spring Recess
NO CLASS
Spring Recess
NO CLASS
April 1
13
Easter Recess
NO CLASS
Easter Recess
NO CLASS
April 3
April 6
14
15
Chapters 7-11
April 8
Poster Presentations
April 10
Poster Presentations
April 13
Development of Emotion
Chapter 12
April 15
Development of Emotion
Chapter 12
April 17
Emotion and Personality
Chapter 13
April 20
Emotion and Personality
Chapter 13
April 22
Emotion and Cognition
**Literature Review Due**
Chapter 14
April 24
Emotion and Cognition
Chapter 14
April 27
Emotion in Clinical Psychology
Chapter 15
April 29
Emotion in Clinical Psychology
Chapter 15
Thursday, May 7th
(8:00-10:00am)
FINAL EXAM
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Chapters 12-15