Adventures in String Theory: A Fun Exploration of the Universe

NOTE: While this is science-intensive -- this will assume the student has no basic knowledge of String Theory or Quantum Mechanics. 
This is a FUN approach to SCIENCE - this is NOT a HARD SCIENCE course. It will includes videos, activities and in-class curriculum.
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In order to make Physics accessible to a wide audience of students from varying areas of physics and cosmology, I will develop the material from first principles, such that the course can be taken without any prior knowledge of quantum field theory.
In the past two decades or so, string theory has become the dominant theoretical framework for addressing questions about the fundamental structure of matter in our Universe. It has produced many new ideas and insights in other fields of physics, ranging from particle phenomenology to quantum gravity, cosmology, and substantially even to condensed matter systems. 

Some of this surprising power of string theory is logically explained by the fact that string theory represents a natural extension or completion of the language of quantum many-body systems and quantum field theory, which makes it relevant in all those diverse areas where the methods of many-body physics play an important role. The basics of string theory should now be in every theorist's vocabulary, regardless of the specific field of physics.

Our main focus in the first semester will be on what I call the "alphabet" of string theory, and our goal will be two-fold: First, we will develop some practical understanding of the basic elements and techniques of string theory at the technical level. Simultaneously, we will also focus on understanding the "big picture" -- how string theory produces new ideas and techniques relevant to other areas of physics besides particle phenomenology and quantum gravity. 

I teach using interactive tools -- PowerPoint, games, and videos. Students are also required 

Week 1 & 2:  Introduction: Why strings?
Week 3 & 4: The bosonic string.
Week 4 & 5 : Superstrings, heterotic strings, supergravity.
Week 6:  M-theory and nonperturbative string-string dualities.