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York University Shakespeare authorship conference convenes April 7, 2012 in Toronto

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Professor Don Rubin of the Department of Theater, York University will convene a one-day conference on the Shakespeare authorship question from 11 a.m. - 5 p.m., April 7, 2012 at York University in downtown Toronto. The event is open to the public and the cost will be modest, according to Rubin. A preliminary list of events includes:
The Toronto conference is the culmination of a new, one-semester, three-credit, seminar for fourth-year students offered by the York University Department of Theater titled "Shakespeare: The Authorship Question". The class begins in January 2012.


When asked about his motivation for offering a class on the Shakespeare authorship, Rubin said:
As to why we are doing this, I can only say that as an academic, as a theatre critic and as an active theatre editor, I really didn't take the authorship question seriously until I read Mark Anderson's book a few years ago. I was deeply impressed by his research and his arguments. 
When I began looking into these issues on my own, I could only wonder why my own teachers never dealt with it at all. Even if one remains skeptical, the fact is that the mystery alone is certainly worthy of academic consideration. I felt that my own students deserved an opportunity to at least understand the primary positions. It took some arguing with colleagues but the course was finally approved on a one-shot basis. With a little luck, it will be offered on a regular basis in future. It will all depend on how it goes this first year. For the record, the course filled up within days of being open and I have a waiting list to get in. There's obviously interest and that's key.
For more information on the April 7, 2012 York University conference on the Shakespeare authorship question contact Professor Don Rubin at mailto:drubin@yorku.ca.
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