InTeGrate Modules and Courses >Coastal Processes, Hazards and Society > Student Materials > Module 10: Understanding and assessing coastal vulnerabilities > Dimension 3: Adaptive capacity > Case Studies
InTeGrate's Earth-focused Modules and Courses for the Undergraduate Classroom
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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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For the Instructor

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.

Case Studies

To help you better understand the third dimension of vulnerability, adaptive capacity, we present two case studies of adaptive capacities in response to coastal disasters. Both were already discussed in the sensitivity section of this module, but here we focus on how governments can enhance adaptive capacities by reducing exposure or sensitivity. The first case, from the 2004 Asian Tsunami, shows how governments responded to the disaster by building tsunami warning systems to reduce exposure. The second case, 1992's Hurricane Andrew, demonstrates how governments reduced sensitivity by changing regulations.


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 »