Major questions in coastal dynamics 1

The module "Major Issues in Coastal Dynamics" takes place at the beginning of the academic semester during an introductory seminar for the master's program in "Coastal Engineering and Sustainable Coastal Dynamics" and the master's program in "Water and Coastal Studies," usually held at a location that is emblematic of the coastline. During this event, organized around a different key theme in coastal sciences each year, an inaugural lecture is given on the definition of the coastline and the typology of coastlines on land. This is followed by one or two lectures given by specialists on a topic chosen from current events in coastal sciences. Shortly after the seminar, students must write an analysis paper on the agreed topic, either individually or in pairs.

The main objective of the module is to strengthen skills in information synthesis and scientific writing. A secondary objective is to enable students to begin working together and discussing a topic that is central to the overall objectives of the program, especially since this module is shared between two coastal programs with complementary focuses. In general, the topic covered is taken from one of the following themes: coastal development, innovative protection systems, sand resources, renewable marine energy, coastal architecture, marine technologies, and water resources in coastal environments. The topic is always related to societal issues.

The desire to work in coastal sciences.

Recommended prerequisites:

A minimum of general knowledge.

Training programs that include this module in their offering are committed to establishing a portfolio of knowledge/skills that will be carefully documented in this module.

These skills will be assessed in the form of a final exam. Students will be strictly assessed on the written composition of a summary note on the current issue that is at the heart of the integration seminar at the beginning of the semester.  

The M1 Master's students in "Coastal Engineering and Sustainable Coastal Dynamics" take part in an integration internship at the beginning of the year in an iconic coastal location, lasting several days. They are occasionally joined by students from the M1 master's program in "Water & Coastline" and students from the M2 master's program in "Coastal Engineering and Coastal Dynamics" for a day-long thematic seminar based on the inaugural course and a pair of lectures by specialists. Each student or pair of students receives personalized support in writing their analysis paper.

The inaugural lecture covers the following topics: Definition of the concept of coastline. Classification of coastlines, typology (barrier, lido, berm, beach top, etc.), typical profiles (cliffs, sandy systems, estuaries, mangroves, reefs, etc.), global distribution, state of health of coastlines, overall morphologies (spits, spit chains, floating spits, indented bays, points, etc.). Concept of WWB allowing the concept of coastline (and therefore the scope of this course and training) to be generalized to many continental environments (epicontinental seas, large lakes, mega-lagoons, etc.). Illustrated examples of coastlines, WWB, and Iwwb index.

The entire module, from presentation to evaluation, takes place