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

This article provides guidelines for student investigation that address 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 the works for which he is credited. They consider two other individuals who represent possible authors who 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 learning is the impetus it offers students to pursue deep reading of Shakespeare's works to achieve social learning, as well as to exercise research skills that may avail students of keen insights to become better critical readers and historians.