TY - JOUR AU - Kainer, John PY - 2016/11/30 Y2 - 2024/03/19 TI - Socratic Inquiry and Durkheim's Division of Labor JF - TRAILS: Teaching Resources and Innovations Library for Sociology JA - TRAILS VL - IS - SE - DO - UR - https://trails.asanet.org/article/view/socratic-inquiry-and-durkheims-division-of-labor SP - AB - When students think about the sociology classes they are most excited to take, classical social theory is rarely at the top of that list. This set of notes and activity guide details a method for teaching students about Durkheim's division of labor without having to tell them explicitly everything that Durkheim said. I included citations for "The Division of Labor in Society" (1893) so that the class can review important parts of the text together and discuss these parts before moving on. Included in the notes are many questions to spark discussions and get students interested in sharing examples from their own life that illustrate Durkheim's theory. The activity begins with a Socratic inquiry into the division of labor that takes on a life of its own and produces, in my experience, an existentially rich and intellectually fruitful lesson for students who are beginning their journey into sociology. ER -