What are some good resources to study Cryptography?
I have knowledge of abstract algebra .Is it enough to take up Cryptography as a special paper or I will have to undergo courses in some other topics.
Also I want to know some books other than Stinson in this regard.
Can someone here help me if this is the right topic for me to choose and what are the current research scopes in this regard and what are the application of this topic.
If you are from mathematics background, then Introduction to Mathematical Cryptography by Silverman etal is good. However for a more formal approach, Introduction to Modern Cryptography by Jonathan Katz and Yehuda Lindell, 2nd edition by CRC press is a nice textbook. If you are from Computer science background, Foundations of Cryptography by Oded Goldreich should be the starting point.