This is a one-semester course designed to give a well-balanced introduction to history, basic theoretical concepts, and major experimental results that emerged from the ultimate quest for understanding the most fundamental constituents of matter and the primary forces of nature. This course is a good primer for those who want/consider to specialize in the field of elementary particle physics. For those who have chosen to work in other areas of physics, it will be an excellent opportunity to get acquainted with the fascinating laws of micro-world and its jargon so as to be able to easily see what actually stands behind such headlines as "Discovery of neutrino oscillations", "Was the Higgs boson detected at LEP?", "Signs of quark compositeness at Tevatron?" , "Are there extra dimensions?".

The course will cover:
 

• Phenomenology of the Standard Model of elementary particles and forces
• The history of the major discoveries in particle physics and the theoretical ideas that led to or resulted from these discoveries
• Particle interactions and experimental techniques

• Outstanding questions of elementary particle physics and prospects for the future research/discoveries

The course is intended for all physics graduate students, independently of their specialization, as well as for senior undergraduates majoring or interested in physics. This one-semester course is offered once every two years. In between, every other year, I offer a more elaborate two-semester course (PHZ6355-PHZ7357 sequence).