FYSM 1308 A – Motivating Humans

Offered by Psychology. Does not count as a major requirement.

The goal of this seminar is to explore issues pertaining to human motivation. We will investigate various themes related to emotion, personality, cognition and the impact that these themes ultimately have on motivational behaviour. We will address questions such as “What kind of incentives do people respond to?” and “How does your past history affect your approach to learning and response to failure?” Your goal as a student is not to memorize the content of the assigned readings, but to learn how to concentrate on the content by questioning the relevance and application of the ideas. This type of study requires that you question as you read, and to come to each class ready to share your thoughts and insights throughout the duration of the course. There are no right or wrong answers involved in this type of learning, but coming up with meaningful and thoughtful questions takes time, and requires that you reflect deeply into the content. This type of learning also requires that you build confidence in your ability to share ideas in an interactive and scholarly fashion.

Prerequisite(s): normally restricted to students entering the first year of a B.A., B.Cog.Sc., B.G.In.S. or B.CoMS program.
Seminar three hours a week.