How do works of social theory relate to the world? This course introduces major works of social-political thought (c. 1700-present) and encourages consideration of their relevance. Seminars take a thematic approach; readings from Smith, Rousseau, Burke, Wollstonecraft, Mill, Marx, Douglass, Nietzsche, Freud, Weber, DuBois, Arendt, Fanon, Rawls, and other writers.