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

Master's in World Maritime Literature

This master's explores the works that have shaped how humanity understands the sea, from the Homeric epics and the voyages of Sinbad to Melville, Conrad, Patrick O'Brian and the sea literature of Spain and Latin America. You will analyze epic narratives, adventure stories, travel accounts and poetry, read them through comparative literature, semiotics, ecocriticism and postcolonial theory, and study themes such as exploration, shipwreck, piracy, identity, power and ocean conservation, while learning research methods and digital tools for literary analysis.

Duration1,500 h

ModeOnline

Start1 December

Modules11

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About the program

What is the Master's in World Maritime Literature?

This master's gives you a global, comparative view of maritime literature. You will trace how the sea has been written from antiquity to the present across European, Asian, African and American traditions, study recurring archetypes such as the voyage, the storm, the shipwreck and the sea as frontier, and follow the figure of the sailor from the classical hero to the modern antihero. You will apply ecophilosophy and ecocriticism to works such as Moby-Dick, read maps, charts and routes as literary symbols, examine how sea narratives reflected exploration, trade, colonialism and resistance, and work with digital corpora, semantic network analysis and text mining to support your own interpretations.

What sets this master's apart: it treats maritime literature as a world field rather than a single national tradition, comparing Scandinavian, Mediterranean, Asian and Latin American writing; it brings literary theory into dialogue with naval history, geography, anthropology and oceanography; it includes a dedicated module on Spanish and Latin American sea literature, from the Chronicles of the Indies to women writers, exile and translation; and it ends with a Final Project in which you design and carry out your own interdisciplinary research on nautical narratives.

Program typeMaster’s degree

ModeOnline

Duration1,500 hours

Modules11

Start1 December

Program highlights

A world view of the sea in literature: European, Asian, African and Latin American traditions compared.
From Homer to O'Brian: close readings of the Odyssey, Moby-Dick, Conrad and other key works.
Critical theory at sea: ecocriticism, semiotics, postcolonial theory and literary cartography.
Spanish and Latin American focus: Chronicles of the Indies, Golden Age, sea poetry, exile and women writers.
Digital humanities: text mining, semantic networks and data visualization for maritime texts.
Final Project: original interdisciplinary research on nautical narratives and maritime thought.

Syllabus

Syllabus of the Master's in World Maritime Literature

11 modules. Select a module to see its content.

Module 1

Comparative Analysis of Nautical Literature and Global Maritime Thought

1.1. Introduction to the comparative study of maritime literature: historical background and relevance to global thought
1.2. Theoretical framework: key concepts in nautical literature, literary genres and their evolution in maritime settings
1.3. Stylistic and rhetorical analysis of the classics: from the Odyssey to Moby-Dick and their influence on how we see the sea
1.4. Nautical literature across cultures: European, Asian, African and American views in building the maritime imagination
1.5. The sea as symbolic and physical space: an interdisciplinary approach linking geography, history and literature
1.6. Critical study of exploration and adventure narratives: their role in maritime expansion and colonial thinking
1.7. Social roles and representations: sailors, captains, pirates and coastal communities
1.8. Nautical literature and the maritime sciences: how fiction and technical reality shape each other
1.9. Recurring themes compared: survival, maritime ethics, humans and nature, and the myth of the sea as frontier
1.10. The influence of maritime literature on contemporary popular culture and on global environmental thinking

At this stage

136 hestimated workload

11 wkweeks at your pace

Module 2

Ecophilosophy and Maritime Symbolism from Homer to Melville

2.1. Foundations of ecophilosophy applied to the sea: key concepts and historical development
2.2. Maritime symbolism in classical antiquity: myths and epics from Homer onward
2.3. Marine ecosystems and literary representation: an interdisciplinary approach
2.4. The sea as existential and spiritual metaphor: from the Greeks to the Middle Ages
2.5. Aesthetic and ethical dimensions of the ocean in Renaissance and Baroque texts
2.6. The symbolic meanings of voyage and shipwreck: paradigms and cultural variations
2.7. The navigator and nature in Romantic prose: where humanity and nature meet
2.8. Melville and the sublime ocean: an in-depth ecophilosophical reading of Moby-Dick
2.9. Philosophical implications of the sea in contemporary literature: ecocriticism and posthumanism
2.10. Methodological tools for symbolic and environmental analysis of maritime texts

At this stage

136 hestimated workload

11 wkweeks at your pace

Module 3

Nautical Narratives from Antiquity to Modernity

3.1. Historical context of maritime narratives: from the Homeric epics to the accounts of the Age of Discovery
3.2. Intertextuality and nautical symbolism: recurring metaphors and archetypes in world maritime literature
3.3. Maritime genres compared: chronicles, travel accounts, adventure novels and epic sea poetry
3.4. How geographical exploration transformed the literary imagination of the sea and shaped global thought
3.5. Literary treatment of the elements: wind, sea and storms and their symbolic personification
3.6. The sailor as literary protagonist: from the classical hero to the contemporary antihero
3.7. Regional literatures (Scandinavian, Mediterranean, Asian and Latin American) and the making of a maritime canon
3.8. Modernity and postmodernity: critical rereadings and new themes in contemporary sea narratives
3.9. Applied theory: literary criticism, postcolonial theory and ecocriticism in maritime studies
3.10. Maritime thought across disciplines: links with history, anthropology, sociology and philosophy

At this stage

136 hestimated workload

11 wkweeks at your pace

Module 4

Ocean Semiology and Narrative Geopolitics

4.1. Foundations of ocean semiology: theory and application in maritime literary analysis
4.2. Naval and maritime iconography: symbols, emblems and their cultural traditions in world texts
4.3. Ocean metaphors: narrative structures and their influence on the maritime imagination
4.4. The poetics of navigation: the sea as a symbolic and political territory in literature
4.5. Narrative geopolitics: power and hegemony in shaping global maritime stories
4.6. Literary cartography: interpreting and reframing maps and routes in sea narratives
4.7. Critical analysis of maritime discourse: colonialism, expansion and resistance in world literature
4.8. Movements and genres compared: from nautical Romanticism to oceanic postmodernism
4.9. The sea as mythical space versus historical territory in literature
4.10. Methodological tools for interdisciplinary research in semiology and maritime literature

At this stage

136 hestimated workload

11 wkweeks at your pace

Module 5

Literary Navigation and Symbolic Cartography: The Sea as Identity and Conflict

5.1. Theoretical foundations of literary navigation: the sea as narrative space from an interdisciplinary view
5.2. Symbolic cartography in literature: semiological analysis of maps, charts and visual images of the ocean
5.3. Maritime identity and territory: how literature builds cultural and geopolitical belonging
5.4. The sea as a space of conflict: narrative and discursive strategies reflecting social, political and ecological tensions
5.5. Literary sea traditions compared: from classical epic to contemporary global fiction
5.6. The voyage and the crossing: psychological and anthropological symbolism of travel by sea in different cultures
5.7. Where real and fictional cartography meet: works that include maps and maritime diagrams
5.8. The sea in poetry and prose: stylistic techniques and literary devices that shape maritime space
5.9. Maritimity and colonialism: literary discourse on power, domination and resistance at sea
5.10. Advanced research methods: textual analysis, cartographic hermeneutics and applied cultural studies

At this stage

136 hestimated workload

11 wkweeks at your pace

Module 6

Semiotics of Nautical Narratives and Maritime Strategic Thinking

6.1. Theoretical foundations of semiology applied to maritime narratives: signs, symbols, codes and nautical communication
6.2. Comparative history of world maritime literatures: from classical epics to contemporary fiction in ocean cultures
6.3. Structural analysis of nautical texts: archetypes, recurring motifs and maritime space and time
6.4. Maritime symbolism and universal myths: building and perpetuating maritime cultural identities
6.5. Advanced methods for critical analysis of nautical discourse: literature, history and anthropology combined
6.6. How maritime narratives shape the collective imagination and global maritime strategic thinking
6.7. The sea as a space of conflict, exploration and livelihood in different literary traditions
6.8. Narrative and the evolution of maritime policy: public perceptions of sovereignty and marine conservation
6.9. Contemporary debates on identity and ecology: the semiology of the environmental crisis in fiction
6.10. Practical application: designing research projects and semiological analyses of selected texts for academic or popular publication

At this stage

136 hestimated workload

11 wkweeks at your pace

Module 7

Iconography, Metaphor and Power in Nautical Narrative

7.1. Theory and method of comparative maritime literary studies: interdisciplinary and transnational approaches
7.2. Nautical iconography: visual and symbolic analysis of the sea in maps, engravings and literary works from antiquity to the modern era
7.3. Maritime metaphors in literary discourse: from the ocean as frontier and abyss to the voyage as self-transformation
7.4. Power and dominion in sea narratives: discursive and symbolic strategies in colonial and geopolitical thinking
7.5. Case studies: navigation and exploration in classical European narrative versus maritime imaginaries in non-Western literatures
7.6. Maritime technology and literary representation: how ships and cartography changed stories and cultural views of the sea
7.7. The sea and seafaring in identity and global politics: a postcolonial and cultural studies reading
7.8. The symbolic power of sea narratives in globalization: circulation, appropriation and resistance
7.9. The impact of nautical narrative on today's maritime imagination: literary, artistic and media perspectives
7.10. Digital tools for comparative analysis: digital corpora, semantic network analysis and data visualization

At this stage

136 hestimated workload

11 wkweeks at your pace

Module 8

Theory and Criticism of Maritime Narratives across Cultures and Eras

8.1. Epistemological and methodological foundations: comparative literature, cultural history and maritime studies
8.2. The evolution of sea narratives: from the oral tales of seafaring peoples to classical and modern literature across Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas
8.3. Critical theories applied: hermeneutic, deconstructive and postcolonial readings of the sea and its symbolism
8.4. Building a global ocean imagination: myths, symbols and archetypes and their effect on cultural views of the ocean
8.5. Narratives of exploration, trade and migration by sea: cultural encounters and conflicts across oceans
8.6. Maritime literature and hybrid identities: the sea as a space of cultural blending from antiquity to the present
8.7. Maritime genres compared: epic, adventure novel, lyric poetry and graphic narrative in different contexts
8.8. Maritime technology and narrative: from sail to steam and technological modernity as told in literature
8.9. Maritime literature in collective memory and in cultural and environmental policy on the ocean
8.10. Practical applications: research project design, in-depth literary analysis and interdisciplinary cultural outreach proposals

At this stage

136 hestimated workload

11 wkweeks at your pace

Module 9

Classic and Contemporary Works in Global Maritime Thought

9.1. Historical context of maritime literature: from classical epics to contemporary fiction
9.2. Landmark classics: close reading of founding texts such as the Odyssey, The Travels of Marco Polo and the voyages of Sinbad
9.3. How the classics built the maritime imagination and the sea as symbolic and real space
9.4. Literary transition: thematic and stylistic change from the classics to the first modern sea works
9.5. Narrative structures, sources and genres compared in classical and contemporary maritime literature
9.6. Key modern authors: critical analysis of Herman Melville, Joseph Conrad and Patrick O'Brian
9.7. The sea and navigation in contemporary literature: realism, symbolism and the existential dimension
9.8. Intertextuality and dialogue between eras: how today's works reinterpret classical sea myths and tales
9.9. Technological and global change as reflected in contemporary sea fiction
9.10. Maritime literature as a tool for global maritime thought: identity, ecology, economy and geopolitics

At this stage

136 hestimated workload

11 wkweeks at your pace

Module 10

Spanish and Latin American Maritime Literature

10.1. Chronicles of the Indies and navigation accounts
10.2. Spanish Golden Age literature and the sea
10.3. Spanish seafaring poetry
10.4. The nineteenth-century Spanish sea novel
10.5. Sea narratives in Latin America
10.6. The sea in contemporary poetry
10.7. Literature of exile by sea
10.8. Women writers and the sea
10.9. Translating maritime literature
10.10. Critical commentary of texts

At this stage

136 hestimated workload

11 wkweeks at your pace

Module 11

Final Project

11.1. Theoretical foundations of maritime narrative: definition, historical development and interpretive paradigms
11.2. Interdisciplinary methods: literature, naval history, anthropology and oceanography in the critical analysis of sea texts
11.3. Structural and semiotic analysis of nautical representations: symbols, metaphors and myths in the collective imagination
11.4. Maritime genres compared: epics, adventure novels, exploration accounts and sea poetry from antiquity to today
11.5. Sociopolitical and economic context of maritime works: the influence of ocean geopolitics on world narrative
11.6. The sea as liminal and ontological space: philosophical and existential implications
11.7. Digital technologies and computational analysis: text mining, narrative network analysis and semantic visualization
11.8. Critical proposals to preserve, share and revitalize maritime literary heritage in a global context
11.9. Designing and carrying out the Final Project: research questions, interdisciplinary method, critical analysis and presentation of results
11.10. The reach of maritime thought in education, culture and maritime policy: toward a global ocean awareness

At this stage

136 hestimated workload

11 wkweeks at your pace

Plan your pace

Duration and format of the Master's in World Maritime Literature

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

Hours per week

4 h30 h

With 12 h per week

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.

Dr. Marina AlcoverAcademic Director and Head of Quality Assurance

Eng. Diego CifuentesSenior Lecturer in Naval Welding and Non-Destructive Testing; Head of QA/QC for Welded Joints

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 FerrerSenior Lecturer in Naval Architecture and Simulation; Director of the Hydrodynamics and CFD Laboratory

Dr. Nuria LlobregatSenior Lecturer in Marine Meteorology, SAR and Operational Safety; Navigation Risk Management Coordinator

Eng. Javier BañulsSenior Lecturer in Electrical Engineering, Automation and ETO Engineering; Electronic Integration and Engine Alarms Coordinator

Eng. Sofía MarquinaSenior Lecturer in Materials, Composites and Corrosion Protection; Coordinator of the Advanced Paints and Coatings Line

Eng. Tomás RieraSenior Lecturer in Propulsion, Alternative Energy and Hybrid Systems; Energy Performance and Vibration Coordinator

Objectives

Objectives of the Master's in World Maritime Literature

01Analyze and interpret nautical symbolism in literary texts, including the meaning of lighthouses, buoys, beacons and other navigation marks as they appear in maritime writing.

02Place the influence of the sea on literature in context, understanding how key works portray it as a space of adventure, danger and reflection and how this connects to their historical and cultural setting.

03Produce creative texts inspired by the maritime tradition, drawing on nautical vocabulary and travel narrative to evoke memorable sea atmospheres and characters.

04Understand and use specialized maritime vocabulary accurately in speech and writing, and interpret technical and regulatory documents of the maritime sector when they inform a text.

05Critically evaluate how different literary cultures represent the sea, identifying cultural biases and proposing alternative readings grounded in historical and social context.

06Design innovative research projects on maritime literature, defining mixed methods that combine textual analysis, historical context and digital tools.

Careers

Career opportunities after the Master's in World Maritime Literature

01Cultural managerdesign and curation of exhibitions, events and projects on maritime literature.

02Editor or proofreaderpublishing houses specializing in literature, history or maritime culture.

03Literary criticreviews and essays on maritime literature for media, journals and blogs.

04Researcherprojects on maritime literature and its links with history, culture and society.

05Screenwriter or literary advisorfilm, television and documentary productions on maritime themes.

06Literary translator, archivist or writertranslating, cataloging or creating fiction and nonfiction inspired by the sea.

Frequently asked questions

Questions about the Master's in World Maritime Literature

World maritime literature: how the sea has been represented across cultures and periods, studied through comparative literature, literary theory and the history of navigation and exploration.

The program ranges from the Odyssey, The Travels of Marco Polo and the voyages of Sinbad to Herman Melville, Joseph Conrad and Patrick O'Brian, together with Spanish and Latin American sea literature and contemporary poetry and fiction.

Comparative literature, semiotics and semiology, ecophilosophy and ecocriticism, postcolonial theory, hermeneutics, deconstruction and literary cartography, combined with naval history, anthropology and digital humanities tools.

No. The program is designed for readers and humanities graduates as well as maritime professionals; the nautical vocabulary and symbols needed to read sea literature are explained along the way.

Yes, as one of its objectives: you will produce texts inspired by the maritime tradition, using nautical vocabulary and travel narrative to build sea atmospheres and characters, alongside your critical work.

You design and carry out your own research on nautical narratives, formulating a research question, choosing an interdisciplinary method, analyzing your corpus critically and presenting your results, with attention to the preservation and outreach of maritime literary heritage.

It is taught online and comprises 1500 hours of study across 11 modules of about 136 hours each, with content available at any time, discussion forums and individual tutoring.

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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: aimed at literature lovers with a special interest in the sea, students and graduates in the humanities, philology, history or related fields, literature and language teachers, writers and aspiring novelists, and maritime professionals such as seafarers and naval historians who want to explore the sea in world literature; a degree in philology, the humanities or a related field, or proven experience in literary or publishing work, is recommended, and reading knowledge of other languages relevant to maritime literature is an advantage.
Language: sufficient command of English to follow the classes and the technical documentation.
Technical resources: a computer with a stable internet connection, camera and microphone, and software to read PDF and ePub documents.
Admission: online application, review of your profile and a short interview with the academic team.

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