Stable maps and Gromov-Witten theory (Jim Bryan, British Columbia)

This will be an example driven introduction to stable maps and
Gromov-Witten theory. We will quickly learn the basics of the theory
though a somewhat quick and informal exposition. We will then explore
the geometry of some specific examples of stable map moduli spaces and
we will use these examples to "discover" and then "deal with" some of
the more technical aspects of the theory such as stacks and virtual
classes.