The objectives of the course are to acquaint graduate students and practicing engineers with the basics of earthquake engineering and seismic resistant design of structures. Upon successful completion of this course, participants will be able to interact with seismologists and understand the fundamentals behind seismic hazard maps contained in our codes, apply basic dynamics principles to seismic design, understand the seismic design philosophy that is implemented in all codes, and apply the main steps that are involved in the seismic design of buildings made of steel or reinforced concrete. Special emphasis will be given to the real behaviour of structures under seismic loading, more specifically the formation of ductile mechanisms, and the assessment of performance under different intensities of seismic input. Common pitfalls in seismic design will be extensively discussed, and the underlying assumptions and code requirements related to the detailing of a number of RC and steel lateral load resisting systems will be presented.