Course Outline
PSY205 Motivation and Emotion
Course Coordinator:Rachael Sharman (rsharman@usc.edu.au) School:School of Health - Psychology
2026Trimester 2
UniSC Sunshine CoastUniSC Moreton Bay |
Blended learning | Most of your course is on campus but you may be able to do some components of this course online. |
Please go to unisc.edu.au for up to date information on the
teaching sessions and campuses where this course is usually offered.
What is this course about?
Description
This course introduces students to the theoretical and empirical approaches to understanding human motivation and emotion. Topics covered include theories of motivation, drives and instincts, consciousness and volitional behaviour, self-control and self-regulation, the function of emotions, relationships between emotion and cognition, and the regulation of emotions.
How will this course be delivered?
| Activity | Hours | Beginning Week | Frequency |
| Blended learning | |||
| Tutorial/Workshop 1 – Tutorial/Workshop for content delivery in large LT | 2hrs | Week 1 | 12 times |
| Tutorial/Workshop 2 – Tutorial to assist students in understanding and completing their assessment - to be undertaken in smaller groups. Max 40 students | 1hr | Week 2 | 9 times |
Course Topics
- theories of motivation, drives and instincts
- consciousness and volitional behaviour
- self-control and self-regulation
- the function of emotions
- relationships between emotion and cognition
- the regulation of emotions.
What level is this course?
200 Level (Developing)
What is the unit value of this course?
12 units
How does this course contribute to my learning?
| Course Learning Outcomes On successful completion of this course, you should be able to... | Graduate Qualities Mapping Completing these tasks successfully will contribute to you becoming... | Professional Standard Mapping * Australian Psychology Accreditation Council | |
| 1 | Understand and explain the major theories and concepts of human motivation and emotion, and to recognise and explain how these factors influence human behaviour. | Knowledgeable |
1.1.1, 1.1.7, 1.1.8, 1.5 |
| 2 | Consider and participate in self-exploration to develop a deeper understanding of the theory of motivation and emotion. | Creative and critical thinker |
1.1.7
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| 3 | Transfer knowledge of human motivation and emotion to applied concepts and scenarios. | Empowered |
1.1.7, 1.5 |
| 4 | Develop appropriate strategies and interventions to overcome a variety of motivational problems. |
Empowered Ethical |
1.1.3, 1.1.7 |
| 5 | Develop coherent arguments that can be supported by relevant research literature. |
Knowledgeable Creative and critical thinker Empowered |
1.3
|
* Competencies by Professional Body
| CODE | COMPETENCY |
| Australian Psychology Accreditation Council | |
| 1.1.1 | Graduates will be able to comprehend and apply a broad and coherent body of knowledge of psychology, with depth of understanding of underlying principles, theories and concepts in the discipline, using a scientific approach, including the history and philosophy underpinning the science of psychology and the social, cultural, historical and professional influences on the practice of psychology |
| 1.1.7 | Graduates will be able to comprehend and apply a broad and coherent body of knowledge of psychology, with depth of understanding of underlying principles, theories and concepts in the discipline, using a scientific approach, including motivation and emotion |
| 1.1.8 | Graduates will be able to comprehend and apply a broad and coherent body of knowledge of psychology, with depth of understanding of underlying principles, theories and concepts in the discipline, using a scientific approach, including neuroscience and the biological bases of behaviour |
| 1.1.3 | Graduates will be able to comprehend and apply a broad and coherent body of knowledge of psychology, with depth of understanding of underlying principles, theories and concepts in the discipline, using a scientific approach, including psychological health and well-being |
| 1.3 | Graduates will be able to analyse and critique theory and research in the discipline of psychology and communicate these in written and oral formats. |
| 1.5 | Graduates will be able to demonstrate interpersonal skills and teamwork. |
Am I eligible to enrol in this course?
Refer to the UniSC Glossary of terms for definitions of “pre-requisites, co-requisites and anti-requisites”.
Pre-requisites
PSY100 and PSY101
Co-requisites
Not applicable
Anti-requisites
Not applicable
Specific assumed prior knowledge and skills (where applicable)
Not applicable
Microcredential Information
Not applicable
How am I going to be assessed?
Grading Scale
Standard Grading (GRD)
| High Distinction (HD), Distinction (DN), Credit (CR), Pass (PS), Fail (FL). |
Details of early feedback on progress
You will be given assistance and feedback in workshops in week 2 workshops on how to write your operational definition for Assessment Task 1.
Assessment tasks
| Delivery mode | Task No. | Assessment Product | Individual or Group | Weighting % | What is the duration / length? | When should I submit? | Where should I submit it? |
| All | 1 | Plan | Individual | 0% | 100 - 250 words |
Refer to Format | In Class |
| All | 2 | Case Study | Individual | 50% | 1800 words |
Refer to Format | Online Assignment Submission with plagiarism check |
| All | 3 | Examination - Centrally Scheduled | Individual | 50% | 90 minutes |
Exam Period | Online Test (Quiz) |
| All - Assessment Task 1:Operational Definition | ||||
| Goal: | An outline of operational definition that will form the basis of your behavioural report |
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| Product: | Plan | |||
| Authorship Statement: | ||||
| Format: | In class, may be written or discussed with teaching staff, between weeks 3 - 5 |
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| Criteria: |
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| Generic Skills: | Communication, Organisation |
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| All - Assessment Task 2:Behaviour change report | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Goal: | The goal of this assessment to operationalise one of your behaviours, record its occurrence, explain why it may be occurring, and devise strategies to modify that behaviour. |
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| Product: | Case Study | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Authorship Statement: | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Format: | This assessment task will be due between weeks 7 - 9 of the teaching trimester. The final date of submission for this task will be determined once public holidays and the course timetable have been published prior to the commencement of trimester. Please refer to your course Canvas site at the commencement of the teaching trimester to confirm the due date for this assessment task. |
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| Criteria: |
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| Generic Skills: | Communication, Problem solving, Organisation, Information literacy |
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| All - Assessment Task 3:Examination | |||||||||||||
| Goal: | To assess your knowledge of the course content. The end-of-trimester examination will consist of short answer questions based on the materials covered in the learning materials, in the textbook, and in the workshops. |
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| Product: | Examination - Centrally Scheduled | ||||||||||||
| Authorship Statement: | |||||||||||||
| Format: | Short answer questions |
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| Criteria: |
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| Generic Skills: | Communication, Problem solving, Organisation, Information literacy |
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Directed study hours
A 12-unit course will have total of 150 learning hours which will include directed study hours (including online if required), self-directed learning and completion of assessable tasks. Student workload is calculated at 12.5 learning hours per one unit.
What resources do I need to undertake this course?
Please note: Course information, including specific information of recommended readings, learning activities, resources, weekly readings, etc. are available on the course Canvas site– Please log in as soon as possible.
Prescribed text(s) or course reader
You need regular access to the resource(s) below. Many texts are available as ebooks through the Library at no additional cost.
| Required? | Author | Year | Title | Edition | Publisher |
| Required | Johnmarshall Reeve | 2025 | Understanding Motivation and Emotion | 8th ed | Wiley |
Specific requirements
N/A
How are risks managed in this course?
What administrative information is relevant to this course?
Assessment: Academic Integrity
Academic integrity is the ethical standard of university participation. It ensures that students graduate as a result of proving they are competent in their discipline. This is integral in maintaining the value of academic qualifications. Each industry has expectations and standards of the skills and knowledge within that discipline and these are reflected in assessment.
Academic integrity means that you do not engage in any activity that is considered to be academic fraud; including plagiarism, collusion or outsourcing any part of any assessment item to any other person. You are expected to be honest and ethical by completing all work yourself and indicating in your work which ideas and information were developed by you and which were taken from others. You cannot provide your assessment work to others. You are also expected to provide evidence of wide and critical reading, usually by using appropriate academic references.
In order to minimise incidents of academic fraud, this course may require that some of its assessment tasks, when submitted to Canvas, are electronically checked through Turnitin. This software allows for text comparisons to be made between your submitted assessment item and all other work to which Turnitin has access.
Assessment: Additional Requirements
Eligibility for Supplementary Assessment
Your eligibility for supplementary assessment in a course is dependent of the following conditions applying:
(a) The final mark is in the percentage range 47% to 49.4%; and
(b) The course is graded using the Standard Grading scale
Assessment: Submission penalties
Late submissions may be penalised up to and including the following maximum percentage of the assessment task’s identified value, with weekdays and weekends included in the calculation of days late:
(a) One day: deduct 5%;
(b) Two days: deduct 10%;
(c) Three days: deduct 20%;
(d) Four days: deduct 40%;
(e) Five days: deduct 60%;
(f) Six days: deduct 80%;
(g) Seven days: A result of zero is awarded for the assessment task.
The following penalties will apply for a late submission for an online examination:
Less than 15 minutes: No penalty
From 15 minutes to 30 minutes: 20% penalty
More than 30 minutes: 100% penalty
Links to relevant University policy and procedures
For more information on Academic Learning & Teaching categories including:
- Assessment: Courses and Coursework Programs
- Review of Assessment and Final Grades
- Supplementary Assessment
- Central Examinations
- Deferred Examinations
- Student Conduct
- Students with a Disability
For more information, visit https://www.usc.edu.au/explore/policies-and-procedures#academic-learning-and-teaching
Student Charter
UniSC is committed to excellence in teaching, research and engagement in an environment that is inclusive, inspiring, safe and respectful. The Student Charter sets out what students can expect from the University, and what in turn is expected of students, to achieve these outcomes.
General Enquiries
For course-specific questions, contact your teaching staff or Course Coordinator.
For other enquiries or to access support, please contact Student Central: