Crash Course Sociology #5: Emile Durkheim on Suicide & Society

This video focuses on Emile Durkheim and his study of suicide and society. Now that we've talked a little bit about how sociology works, it's time to start exploring some of the ideas of the discipline's founders. First up: Emile Durkheim. We'll explain the concept of social facts and how Durkheim framed sociology as a science. We'll introduce the idea of common consciousness and how Durkheim believed it binds society together. We'll also talk about Durkheim's studies on suicide and how he applied his concepts to a specific social problem.