If you are interested in a “from-the-scratch” string theory course here is one by our very own Shiraz Minwalla. The lectures are ~500 MB each in .avi format.
The lectures are held twice a week and are likely to continue till middle of 2008 at least, I am told.
Warning: These lectures are not for the faint of heart. A bachelors in physics is really the prerequisite here. I’m an out-and-out experimental physics guy but I think there is great merit in String Theory. Check out my blog entry on a video lecture by Nobel Laureate David Gross that touches upon why String Theory is a good idea.
Tip: See the first lecture for info about textbooks and other course related announcements.
I’d like to point out a longish but great (1 hr 38 min) video lecture by Nobel Laureate David Gross at the Berkeley webcast site.
“The Coming Revolutions in Fundamental Physics”
The video lecture is a good summary on what we know about the fundamental forces of nature, their unification at high energies, multiple dimensions, super-symmetry, the big bang and inflation. Gross also talks about what the upcoming Large Hadron Collider at CERN will teach us. Later in the lecture, Gross gets into string theory. And this is where the lecture really shines. If you listen to minutes 0:53:00 to 1:14:00 or so you will get a great 20,000ft overview of string theory.
The lecture is pitched at basic level (you would need to have studied physics at the college level though). Watch it!
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