The coast is the most dynamic landscape on earth. It changes every time a wave breaks, a tide changes, or streams flow. About seventy percent of the world’s population lives within 100 km of the coast. This course provides a foundation in the core scientific principles, governance frameworks, and economic challenges and opportunities related to the quest for sustainable coastal management and adaptation. A central theme of the course is the need to assess and respond to coastal climate vulnerability, including via adaptive policy and planning at diverse scales of coastal governance. The case studies in the course encompass both developed and less developed countries, and an emphasis on management of large coastal cities, coastal ecosystems, and other coastal land-uses.