The subsequent collection of ‘selected topics’ offers a mere glimpse of what the respective headings announce. This is because each topic by itself may fill an entire book or even several books. In turn this means that what you find under each heading is biased by this author’s personal experience with the subject and therefore may neglect material considered essential by others. For this I apologize. However, I have included references which most likely cover the omitted material. Specifically, we shall discuss the mechanics of polymers, filler effects, albeit mainly in the context of elastomers, and some theoretical concepts in the areas of polymer liquid crystals and polyelectrolytes.