Political theorists ask important questions about the fundamental elements of politics, such as: What is the best kind of regime? How should we distribute wealth and resources? What is the proper relationship between religion and the state? Who should be included in (and excluded from) a political community? This course considers these questions and others through an examination of selected thinkers, theories, and ideologies, ranging from Plato to Machiavelli to Marx, from liberalism to postmodernism.