NOTE: PICK A TOPIC (BY TODAY) AND LET ME KNOW SO I CAN SUBMIT IT FOR APPROVAL AND THEN YOU CAN BEGIN WRITING.

1. Just go with whatever interests you that relates to motivation. My guidelines are only (1) length (4-5 pages single-spaced or 8-10 double-spaced); (2) sources (at least 2 other than the textbook, and they can be reputable web sites as well as books and journal articles); (3) style (the more coherent and tied together the narrative is, the better the grade, so topics should not to be so overly broad that coherence is difficult to achieve); (4) your own opinions are encouraged, and particularly important when there is controversy between two or more viewpoints. There are no guidelines for topic other than that, so please just say what interests you and I’ll take it from there. I am most familiar with the APA style for references, but if you have another format that you’re comfortable with that’s OK too. More important than format is that (1) every item cited in the text must be in the references as well, and the other way around and (2) the references be in alphabetical or numerical order. Even more important, the citations in the text need to be complete and match the references listed at the end. For example, if in the text you are taking some material from the article by Kraut (1982) on facial feedback and emotion, it is not enough to list the Kraut article at the end: you also must cite it in parentheses or brackets at the place in the text where you are using that material. That way the reader knows as exactly as possible the sources of your stated ideas, and can check them on his or her own. Related to that: if you cite one article in the text but found that article within another article that you actually read, it is important that you say so in the references at the end, again so the reader interested in pursuing the topic further can find what you found. There are many ways to do that: one way would be to say “Kraut (1982) … Cited in Ekman (1986) …”I am not expecting the paper to be a research article presenting original findings, though I will accept it with pleasure if it is! So you don’t need the APA trappings of Abstract, Introduction, Methods, etc., though sub-sections usually make it go smoother.In addition to guidelines for what is legal for a termpaper, there are also some guidelines for effective writing:Do not choose a topic that’s overly large (e.g., motivation for success in education is probably too big, but motivation for success in high school algebra is not).Try to avoid long run-on paragraphs. Generally a paragraph that’s longer than a page single-spaced or two pages double-spaced is likely to be too long. Break up the paragraph when the ideas become different, even if related (that’s something that’s a matter of feel.)

2. Here are a few past 3320 term paper titles if you need them to think of your own term paper topic. They are roughly grouped together by topic area. But please remember:(1)This list is far from complete(2)If you have an idea for what you want to do that doesn’t match closely to anything on the list, that doesn’t disqualify your idea, as long as it has something to do with motivation of some group of people or animals or motivation in some pursuit or task (very broad: it can be expansion of something in the Petri book, as long as you use at least 2 other sources, something from your own life, something from other literature, et cetera).:

Fear: the Most Dreaded of Emotions

Hedonism

An Inquiry Into the Whys of Laughter

On Becoming Self-actualized: An Autobiographical Account

The Cultural Aspects of Anorexia Nervosa

Effects of Culture and Race on Eating Disorders

Extrinsic Motivation of Anorexia and Bulimia

Sexual Addiction

What Motivates the Acts of Adultery: A Marital Affair

Adolescent Substance

UseAlcohol and Suicide: A Deeper Connection?

Methamphetamine Motivation

Britney Spears’ Substance and Alcohol Abuse

Conditioned Responses and Learned Helplessness in Relation to Drug Use

How to Quit Smoking: Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation