Can human population ever exceed its ability to produce food? High schoolers watch a short overview of Thomas Malthus's An Essay on the Principle of Population to learn more about the subsistence level of the human population, and how positive lifestyle checks can differentiate humans from their animalian compatriots.

Concepts

population, human population, thomas malthus, economics, food supply, famine, starvation, food distribution

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Additional Tags

social studies

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Instructional Ideas

• Use in a sociology class or when discussing the impact of the world population on the economy
• Have learners watch the video at home and come to class for a discussion

Classroom Considerations

• Video begins with a short advertisement that you can skip
• Refer to the publisher's website for the full analysis, as the video is a brief sample

• This video is hosted on YouTube

Pros

• Likens Malthus's theory to a more understandable school of fish
• Animation keeps learners engaged and informed

Cons

• None

Common Core

RH.9-10.2 RH.9-10.9 RH.11-12.2 RH.11-12.9