Master’s degree1,500 h · Online · 11 modules

Master's in Naval Literature, Art and Film

This master's offers an in-depth journey through maritime tradition as expressed in literature, the visual arts and cinema. You will discover how the sea has inspired masterpieces of fiction, poetry, painting and film; analyze the way life on board, naval battles, shipwrecks and sea mythology have been represented from the classics to contemporary productions; and explore the influence of the sea on cultural identity and collective memory, gaining analytical tools to interpret maritime narratives and practical skills to research, curate and create cultural content about the sea.

Duration1,500 h
ModeOnline
Start1 December
Modules11
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About the program

What is the Master's in Naval Literature, Art and Film?

This master's studies the sea as a cultural theme across art forms and centuries. You will study maritime epic, travel and exploration writing, the 19th-century sea novel, shipwreck literature, logbooks as a literary genre and contemporary naval fiction; sea poetry, theater, oral tradition and sea shanties; marine painting, Romantic storm scenes, scientific illustration, engraving, historical maritime photography, figureheads and ship models as art; maritime cinema from its origins to adventure and pirate films, naval war films, submarine films, documentaries, animation and television series; film language, sound and music applied to the sea; music, comics, video games, fashion and advertising inspired by the sea; museums, curating and cultural management; and research methods in cultural studies.

What sets this master's apart: rather than treating literature, painting and film separately, it reads them side by side to show how symbols such as the ship as a social microcosm or the sea as an untamable force travel between media and eras; it extends the analysis to popular culture, from shanties and graphic novels to video games and social media; it combines critical analysis with hands-on creation in creative writing, screenwriting, photography, podcasts and transmedia projects, plus museum and festival management; and it closes with a Final Project that can be either a research project or a creative project on naval culture.

Program typeMaster’s degree
ModeOnline
Duration1,500 hours
Modules11
Start1 December

Program highlights

  • The literature of the sea: maritime epic, travel writing, the sea novel, shipwreck narratives and contemporary naval fiction.
  • Poetry, theater, oral tradition and sea shanties, with text commentary and dramatized reading.
  • Marine painting and visual arts: Romanticism, scientific illustration, engraving, photography, figureheads and iconographic analysis.
  • Maritime cinema and television: genres, film language, sound, historical accuracy and applied film criticism.
  • Museums, curating, cultural management and creation of maritime content for publishing, film, podcasts and social media.
  • Final Project: a research or creative project on naval culture.
Syllabus

Syllabus of the Master's in Naval Literature, Art and Film

11 modules. Select a module to see its content.

Module 1

Introduction to naval culture in the arts

  • 1.1. The sea as a theme in cultural history
  • 1.2. The relationship between maritime literature, painting and cinema
  • 1.3. Methods of artistic analysis
  • 1.4. Sources and archives of naval heritage
  • 1.5. Relevant genres and movements
  • 1.6. The sea in mythology and religion
  • 1.7. The figure of the sailor in popular culture
  • 1.8. The voyage as an artistic metaphor
  • 1.9. Naval iconography
  • 1.10. Interdisciplinarity in sea studies
At this stage
136 hestimated workload
11 wkweeks at your pace
Module 2

The literature of the sea: from the classics to modernity

  • 2.1. Maritime epic in antiquity
  • 2.2. Travel and exploration narratives
  • 2.3. The 19th-century sea novel
  • 2.4. Contemporary naval fiction
  • 2.5. Analysis of representative works
  • 2.6. Shipwreck literature
  • 2.7. Logbooks as a literary genre
  • 2.8. Maritime literature in Spanish
  • 2.9. The sea in young adult literature
  • 2.10. Maritime literature and historical memory
At this stage
136 hestimated workload
11 wkweeks at your pace
Module 3

Maritime poetry and theater

  • 3.1. The sea in classical and modern poetry
  • 3.2. Symbols and metaphors of the sea
  • 3.3. Theater and the representation of life on board
  • 3.4. Oral tradition and sailors' songs
  • 3.5. Text commentary
  • 3.6. Poetry of exile and emigration by sea
  • 3.7. Sailors' ballads and folk verses
  • 3.8. Staging the shipwreck
  • 3.9. Contemporary playwriting about the sea
  • 3.10. Recitation and dramatized reading
At this stage
136 hestimated workload
11 wkweeks at your pace
Module 4

Naval painting and visual arts

  • 4.1. Marine painting in the early modern period
  • 4.2. Romanticism and storm scenes
  • 4.3. Scientific illustration and artistic cartography
  • 4.4. Ship modeling as an art
  • 4.5. Museums and collections of naval art
  • 4.6. Naval engraving and prints
  • 4.7. Historical maritime photography
  • 4.8. Contemporary art and installations about the sea
  • 4.9. Sculpture and figureheads
  • 4.10. Iconographic analysis of naval works
At this stage
136 hestimated workload
11 wkweeks at your pace
Module 5

The sea in cinema: origins and evolution

  • 5.1. Early films with maritime themes
  • 5.2. Adventure and pirate films
  • 5.3. Naval war films
  • 5.4. Maritime documentaries
  • 5.5. Filming technology at sea
  • 5.6. Major Hollywood maritime productions
  • 5.7. The sea in European cinema
  • 5.8. Animated films with maritime themes
  • 5.9. Special effects and digital recreation of the sea
  • 5.10. Maritime television series
At this stage
136 hestimated workload
11 wkweeks at your pace
Module 6

Film analysis of naval works

  • 6.1. Film language applied to the sea
  • 6.2. Representation of the crew and leadership
  • 6.3. Historical accuracy versus fiction
  • 6.4. Music and sound in maritime cinema
  • 6.5. Case analysis
  • 6.6. Characters and archetypes of maritime cinema
  • 6.7. Submarine films
  • 6.8. The sea as a setting for horror and suspense
  • 6.9. Representation of the marine environment
  • 6.10. Applied film criticism
At this stage
136 hestimated workload
11 wkweeks at your pace
Module 7

Heritage, museums and cultural management

  • 7.1. Naval and maritime museums
  • 7.2. Conservation of works and collections
  • 7.3. Exhibitions and curating
  • 7.4. Cultural project management
  • 7.5. Heritage outreach and education
  • 7.6. Intangible heritage and seafaring traditions
  • 7.7. Film and sea culture festivals
  • 7.8. Networks of maritime museums
  • 7.9. Digitization of collections
  • 7.10. Maritime cultural tourism
At this stage
136 hestimated workload
11 wkweeks at your pace
Module 8

Creation and production of maritime content

  • 8.1. Creative writing on maritime themes
  • 8.2. Screenwriting for film and documentary
  • 8.3. Photography and illustration of the sea
  • 8.4. Publishing and audiovisual projects
  • 8.5. Funding and distribution
  • 8.6. Podcasts and sound storytelling about the sea
  • 8.7. Content for social media
  • 8.8. Transmedia projects
  • 8.9. Copyright and licensing
  • 8.10. Presentation of a creative project
At this stage
136 hestimated workload
11 wkweeks at your pace
Module 9

Music, popular culture and new narratives of the sea

  • 9.1. The sea in classical music
  • 9.2. Sailors' songs and sea shanties
  • 9.3. The sea in contemporary popular music
  • 9.4. Comics and graphic novels with maritime themes
  • 9.5. Video games set at sea
  • 9.6. Fashion and design with nautical inspiration
  • 9.7. Advertising and brands using maritime imagery
  • 9.8. Digital narratives and social media
  • 9.9. Sea culture and sustainability
  • 9.10. Analysis of recent cultural phenomena
At this stage
136 hestimated workload
11 wkweeks at your pace
Module 10

Research methods in cultural studies of the sea

  • 10.1. Theoretical approaches in cultural studies
  • 10.2. Designing a research project in the humanities
  • 10.3. Bibliographic sources and archives
  • 10.4. Comparative analysis of works
  • 10.5. Discourse analysis and semiotics
  • 10.6. Reception and audience studies
  • 10.7. Digital humanities
  • 10.8. Writing academic articles
  • 10.9. Oral presentation of research
  • 10.10. Preparation of the research proposal
At this stage
136 hestimated workload
11 wkweeks at your pace
Module 11

Final Project

  • 11.1. Definition of the problem, objectives and scope of the project
  • 11.2. Review of the state of the art and the applicable framework
  • 11.3. Methodology, resources and work plan
  • 11.4. Development and analysis of results
  • 11.5. Conclusions, feasibility and future lines of work
  • 11.6. Writing the project report and presenting it to an evaluation panel
  • 11.7. Choice of topic and definition of the research or creative question
  • 11.8. Formulation of objectives, hypotheses and scope of the work
  • 11.9. Analysis of the relevant theoretical and technical framework
  • 11.10. Design of the methodology and work plan
At this stage
136 hestimated workload
11 wkweeks at your pace
Plan your pace

Duration and format of the Master's in Naval Literature, Art and Film

It is 1,500 hours. Tell us how many you can study each week and we will tell you when you will really finish.

4 h30 h
With 12 h per week
29
months to finish
125 weeks
weeks in total

This is the pace at which most students finish. It fits well with the installment plan.

Faculty

Academic leadership and faculty

The Navalis teaching team: working professionals who teach and supervise the programs.

Dra. Marina AlcoverDr. Marina AlcoverAcademic Director and Head of Quality Assurance
Ing. Diego CifuentesEng. Diego CifuentesSenior Lecturer in Naval Welding and Non-Destructive Testing; Head of QA/QC for Welded Joints
Cap. Javier Abaroa (MCA)Capt. Javier Abaroa (MCA)Senior Lecturer in Ship Handling, Electronic Navigation (ECDIS/Radar/ARPA) and GMDSS; STCW Compliance and Bridge Resource Management Coordinator
Dr. Pau FerrerDr. Pau FerrerSenior Lecturer in Naval Architecture and Simulation; Director of the Hydrodynamics and CFD Laboratory
Dra. Nuria LlobregatDr. Nuria LlobregatSenior Lecturer in Marine Meteorology, SAR and Operational Safety; Navigation Risk Management Coordinator
Ing. Javier BañulsEng. Javier BañulsSenior Lecturer in Electrical Engineering, Automation and ETO Engineering; Electronic Integration and Engine Alarms Coordinator
Ing. Sofía MarquinaEng. Sofía MarquinaSenior Lecturer in Materials, Composites and Corrosion Protection; Coordinator of the Advanced Paints and Coatings Line
Ing. Tomás RieraEng. Tomás RieraSenior Lecturer in Propulsion, Alternative Energy and Hybrid Systems; Energy Performance and Vibration Coordinator
Objectives

Objectives of the Master's in Naval Literature, Art and Film

01Analyze the representation of the sea in different narratives, identifying nautical symbols and their cultural evolution in literature, film and art.
02Understand the relationship between naval power and cultural expression, analyzing how naval history shapes national identity and appears in art, literature and music.
03Develop a critical view of the naval imagination, analyzing cultural representations of naval warfare in literature, film and video games and identifying ideologies and stereotypes.
04Produce original research or creative work that contributes to the field of maritime cultural studies.
05Interpret maritime symbolism in literary, artistic and cinematic works, identifying archetypes such as the untamable sea or the ship as a social microcosm and their narrative function in context.
06Apply comparative analysis to naval works from different periods and cultures, relating forms, themes and techniques to their historical, geographical and technological context.
Careers

Career opportunities after the Master's in Naval Literature, Art and Film

01Cultural manager specializing in maritime topicsexhibition curating, event organization and outreach on maritime heritage.
02Researcher in maritime cultural studiesresearch projects on naval literature, art and cinema.
03Film and literary criticreviews, analyses and essays for specialized magazines and media.
04Screenwriter and documentary makerscripts for films, series and documentaries with maritime themes.
05Specialized content editorbooks, magazines and digital content on maritime literature, art and film.
06Cultural advisor to maritime and naval institutionseducational programs, cultural routes and heritage management.
Frequently asked questions

Questions about the Master's in Naval Literature, Art and Film

The interdisciplinary study of literature, the visual arts and cinema related to the sea and naval culture, from antiquity to contemporary popular culture.

Fiction and poetry, theater, painting and other visual arts, photography, cinema and television, music and new formats such as comics, video games, podcasts and transmedia projects.

No. Alongside critical analysis, you practice creative writing, screenwriting, photography and illustration and develop publishing, audiovisual and cultural management projects.

No. The program is designed for graduates in the humanities, art and media, teachers, writers and artists, as well as maritime professionals interested in the cultural side of navigation.

Yes. You can choose between a research project and a creative project on naval culture, always with a defined methodology and a written report.

Online, with live and recorded classes, discussion forums and personalized tutoring.

Through text and film commentaries, iconographic analyses, creative exercises and projects in each module, plus the Final Project.

A Navalis Institute master's certificate and a Final Project in research or creation that you can use as a portfolio in the cultural and creative sectors.

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Online admission

Admission process

No waiting for a call back. If your documents are in order, you can enroll in the same session.

Entry requirements
  • Profile: a degree in the humanities, art history, media and film studies, literature or a related field, or professional experience in artistic, literary or film creation; a sample of previous work (essay, story, script) is welcome.
  • Language: sufficient command of English to follow the classes and the technical documentation.
  • Technical resources: a computer with camera and microphone and a stable internet connection.
  • Admission: online application, review of your profile and a short interview with the academic team.
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    Application
    Your details, background and documents.
  2. 02
    Instant review
    We check that everything is complete and in order.
  3. 03
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