Gauge theories for pedestrians

The series of lectures intends to provide a basic introduction to the major theoretical tools which enter the construction of the standard model of electroweak interactions and QCD. After reviewing the Fermi and intermediate vector boson IVB theories, I shall discuss global and local gauge symmetries and their spontaneous breaking. This will enable us to study spontaneously broken gauge theories where the Higgs mechanism is operative. The final step of this course will be the presentation of the Lagrangian of the Standard Model and a discussion of its main features.