Was Shakespeare a Man or a Woman? Discipline-Based Art Education as a Tool for Literary Inquiry and Guided Discovery

Abstract

This article provides guidelines for student investigation that addresses teaching and learning objectives for both the social studies and language arts. Building on historical inquiry methods, the authors advocate for Discipline-Based Art Education (DBAE) as a vehicle for this learning. Because the curricula in secondary English/language arts and history potentially overlap, the question of the legitimacy of William Shakespeare’s contributions to the Western canon provides opportunities for interdisciplinary learning. Students grapple with the question of whether Shakespeare would have been capable of writing all of the works for which he is credited. They consider two other individuals who represent possible authors that were in position to develop the literary works that conventional histories ascribe to Shakespeare. Students pursue teacher-guided, self-directed, and collaborative activities to attempt to unravel the mystery of Shakespeare’s identity and establish the legitimacy of his authorship of internationally celebrated dramas that have been celebrated for over four centuries. The importance of this research is the impetus it offers students to pursue deep reading of Shakespeare’s works as means to achieve other kinds of higher order learning, as well as to exercise research skills that may avail students of keen insights to become better readers and historians.