Quantum field theory and the Standard Model

In this lecture we discuss the basic ingredients for gauge invariant quantum field theories. We give an introduction to the elements of quantum field theory, to the construction of the basic Lagrangian for a general gauge theory, and proceed with the formulation of QCD and the electroweak Standard Model with electroweak symmetry breaking via the Higgs mechanism. The phenomenology of W and Z bosons is discussed and implications for the Higgs boson are derived from comparison with experimental precision data.