Shakespeare: The Authorship Question, a day-long conference exploring those questions, will take place Saturday, April 7, starting at 11am, at the Joseph G. Green Studio Theatre, 139 Centre for Film & Theatre, Keele campus. The conference is open to the public. Tickets cost $30, which will include a light lunch. Reservations must be made, but one can pay at the door.

Over the last century-and-a-half numerous scholars, artists and those who are simply curious have looked at the issue and have suggested quite publicly that the Bard of Avon may not be who we have long thought he was. Those doubters have included Sigmund Freud, Mark Twain, Henry James, Orson Welles, Helen Keller and, more recently, major artists such as Mark Rylance, first artistic director of the rebuilt Globe Theatre, actor Jeremy Irons and Sir Derek Jacobi. Even a judge from the United States Supreme Court – after hearing the arguments in a legal framework – said there were certainly grounds for reasonable doubt.

In recent years, dozens of books have been published interrogating these and related questions arguing for and against everyone from the standard candidate – the actor-manager from Stratford-upon-Avon William Shaksper (that is indeed how he generally spelled his name) – to  Edward de Vere, the 17th Earl of Oxford (the current most favoured candidate) to Italian-born and English-raised lexicographer John Florio. Sony Pictures’ recent film, Anonymous, has now drawn the wider public into the discussion.

The conference’s keynote speaker, Mark Anderson (left), author of the critically-acclaimed volume , has his own opinion on Shakespeare’s identity. Anderson will delve into the subject with his talk, "The Bard's New Clothes: Shakespeare's Autobiography and Why the Authorship Controversy Matters".

Professor Don Rubin (right), founding director of the MA and PhD programs in Theatre Studies and series editor of Routledge’s six-volume World Encyclopedia of Contemporary Theatre, will deliver opening remarks. Rubin, president of the Canadian Theatre Critics Association, is currently directing a fourth-year seminar at 91ŃÇÉ« on the authorship question.

Montreal actor Keir Cutler will then give a one-hour performance based on Mark Twain’s comic examination of the question, is Shakespeare dead? Cutler has performed the show all across North America.

In the afternoon, there will be a 90-minute panel debate on who wrote Shakespeare’s work, chaired by Rubin with panellists Anderson, Cutler, Italian-born scholar and editor Lamberto Tassinari of Montreal (a major proponent of John Florio), 91ŃÇɫ’s own Canada Research Chair in Theatre – Professor Christopher Innes of the Department of English (arguing for William of Stratford), David Prosser, communications director and former literary manager of the  Stratford Festival, and Michel Vais, editor of the Quebec theatre journal Jeu. There will also be a Q&A session with the audience.

The event is sponsored by the 91ŃÇÉ« Department of Theatre in association with 91ŃÇɫ’s Faculty of Fine Arts, Winters College, Stong College, the Division of Humanities and the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies Research Fund.

For more information, to register or to support this event, contact Don Rubin at drubin@yorku.ca, or Tasha Gallant, part of the conference’s publicity committee, at Tash89@yorku.ca.

Republished courtesy of YFile– 91ŃÇɫ’s daily e-bulletin.

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The Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council of Canada, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Natural Sciences & Engineering Research Council of Canada officially launched the new  on Dec. 5. 

The new framework builds on previous research integrity policies and procedures related to applying for and managing agency funds, performing research and disseminating results. It outlines the responsibilities of researchers regarding the ethical conduct of research.

Left: Robert Haché, vice-president research & innovation

“The intent of this new framework is to enhance research integrity,” said HachĂ©. “It is important for the 91ŃÇÉ« community to recognize this framework and their responsibilities with respect to their research activities.”

Researchers always have been responsible for the rigorous conduct of research, the maintenance of complete and accurate records (research, financial); thorough and accurate referencing; appropriate authorship and acknowledgement of all contributors and contributions to the research; and the proactive management of any real, potential or perceived conflict of interest. With the new framework, there is an increase in the implications and consequences to researchers for even an inadvertent failure to maintain this ethical contract.

Researchers at 91ŃÇÉ« are already, by and large, a model of compliance for the ethical conduct of research. Thus, continued adherence to current practices together with an increase in individual vigilance will assure the continued success of researchers’ programs. 

Framework highlights include:

• 91ŃÇÉ« will be required to report all findings of misconduct for fault in the conduct of research,
• However, with the new framework, allegations of a serious nature (harm to participants; significant financial breach, etc.) also must now be reported to Tri-Agency
• Misconduct is still defined as a breach of ANY Tri-agency policy. 
• All applicants will be required to sign a that will allow the agencies (subject to applicable laws, including the Privacy Act, and in cases of a serious breach of agency policy) to publicly disclose the names of researchers and their institutions that seriously breach the RCR guidelines and agency policy. 

For more information about the new framework, contact Alison Collins-Mrakas, senior manager & policy advisor, research ethics, at acollins@yorku.ca. For more information about the policy, click here.

Republished courtesy of YFile– 91ŃÇɫ’s daily e-bulletin.

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