This graduate textbook presents the basics of representation theory for finite groups from the point of view of semisimple algebras and modules over them. The presentation interweaves insights from specific examples with development of general and powerful tools based on the notion of semisimplicity. The elegant ideas of commutant duality are introduced, along with an introduction to representations of unitary groups.The text progresses systematically and the presentation is friendly and inviting. Central concepts are revisited and exploredfrom multiple viewpoints. Exercises at the end of...