InTeGrate Modules and Courses >Coastal Processes, Hazards and Society > Student Materials > Section 4: Society and Policy Making > Module 12: Sea level rise policy > Considering Views of Vulnerable Stakeholders
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These materials are part of a collection of classroom-tested modules and courses developed by InTeGrate. The materials engage students in understanding the earth system as it intertwines with key societal issues. The collection is freely available and ready to be adapted by undergraduate educators across a range of courses including: general education or majors courses in Earth-focused disciplines such as geoscience or environmental science, social science, engineering, and other sciences, as well as courses for interdisciplinary programs.
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These student materials complement the Coastal Processes, Hazards and Society Instructor Materials. If you would like your students to have access to the student materials, we suggest you either point them at the Student Version which omits the framing pages with information designed for faculty (and this box). Or you can download these pages in several formats that you can include in your course website or local Learning Managment System. Learn more about using, modifying, and sharing InTeGrate teaching materials.

Considering Views of Vulnerable Stakeholders

Coastal communities often find that decisions about what people and places to protect first are particularly challenging. As discussed in Module 10, vulnerability provides one way to prioritize protection for different areas. By using the vulnerability scoping diagram (VSD; see Module 10 for description) in participatory planning exercises, communities can encourage stakeholders to brainstorm components and measures for the three dimensions of vulnerability (exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity). Completing the VSD in a public forum can help stakeholders and discussion leaders to better understand which dimensions and components of vulnerability different community members and experts believe are most important; measures for these most-important components can then be mapped to indicate areas that are most in need of protection. For example, if a participatory VSD indicates that community members see exposure of low-lying areas to sea level rise-enhanced storm surge and sensitivity of low-income groups as the two most important components of vulnerability, then elevation and census data can be used to identify areas that are low-lying and have a high percentage of persons in poverty. These areas would then be given first priority when considering strategies for preparing for sea level rise and related coastal hazards.


These materials are part of a collection of classroom-tested modules and courses developed by InTeGrate. The materials engage students in understanding the earth system as it intertwines with key societal issues. The collection is freely available and ready to be adapted by undergraduate educators across a range of courses including: general education or majors courses in Earth-focused disciplines such as geoscience or environmental science, social science, engineering, and other sciences, as well as courses for interdisciplinary programs.
Explore the Collection »