Instructional Video

An Introduction to Emile Durkheim's Suicide

Curated and Reviewed by Lesson Planet

Suicide is one of the most tragic events in human existence, and it is also one of the least understandable phenomena in sociology. Emile Durkheim's 19th century work Suicide is the focus of a short analysis video that connects social factors to the act of suicide, and compares society to a busy highway on which accidents occur because of drivers' failure to integrate and regulate.

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CCSS: Adaptable
Instructional Ideas
  • Connect with a sociology lesson on suicide or socialization
  • Apply the video to a study of a character from a class novel who doesn't fit into society, or when discussing a historical figure who committed suicide
Classroom Considerations
  • Addresses a sensitive topic in a clinical way
  • Best used with older classes
  • Find a longer version of the analysis on the publisher's website
  • This video is hosted on YouTube
Pros
  • Applicable to many uses in a social studies or language arts classroom
  • Uses an approachable comparison to make Durkheim's argument
Cons
  • None