It is hard to see Plato's Republic both as a whole and in detail. To deal with this problem we read just part of it, slowly -- beginning with his conclusions in Book X and then 'rereading' Books I-III. This goes naturally with three themes. The first is philosophical method, including Plato's strategies of argument and 'literary' devices. A second is his engagement with the sophists: we read pre-Platonic texts including Antiphon On Truth and the Anon. Iamblichus. A third is the politics of the Republic, including censorship of the arts; the ideal of the 'real ruler' with the politikê technê; and the origins of society.