A hundred years on

As of this past summer, it has been a century since the outbreak of the First World War. By this time of year (November) in 1914, many Dalhousie students had already enlisted and were on their way to the raging battle in Europe.  

The impact that the Great War had on the university, Canada and the rest of the word continues to be felt 100 years later. Dalhousie’s Department of History is commemorating the centenary by hosting two new courses that aim to explore the war and the implications of it throughout the world.

“Anyone can take the courses,” says Christopher Bell, a military diplomatic historian and professor at Dalhousie. “One of our goals was to make them as widely accessible as possible. It’s important that everybody has the opportunity to learn about and understand these things.”

A collaborative effort

The fall course is taught by Dr. Bell and is titled “WWI: Causes and Campaigns.” It gives an overview of the First World War: how it started; how the campaigns developed; how its outcomes came about. The winter course is unique in that it utilizes the diverse expertise of over a dozen different members of the department. The multifaceted class is titled “WWI: How it Changed our World.”

“Both stand alone,” says Dr. Bell (left). “You don’t have to take one half to take the other half.”

“In the second section of the courses, we really wanted to showcase the long term impact of the war in all different parts of the world through the expertise of different members of the department,” Dr. Bell continues. “Many of the presenters have research that intersects with the First World War in different ways.”

The class will be a cultural and political tour of the impacts of WWI throughout the globe. At least 14 members from the Department of History will be presenting WWI in a diverse array of conventionally unexplored regions, including: Canada; Newfoundland; Russia; India; Oceania; the middle east and the Ottoman Empire, as well as some regions of Africa.

Students can also expect to be immersed in the film, art and poetry that stemmed from the First World War. “This course is meant to be as diverse as possible,” Dr. Bell says. “We wanted to show all the different ways in which the First World War had an impact on the world and how it has shaped the world we live in today.”

100 years of commemoration

“What’s important about the First World War centenary is that it gives us a chance to reflect on Canada’s development as a nation and the sacrifice made by Canadian soldiers and citizens at this time in history,” says Dr. Bell. He also warns that it is a moment in history that is easy to lose sight of. “Ideally I’d like to see more understanding of what they were fighting for and why the values that they were fighting for were so important to them,” he says.  

“I think as a military historian, it is important for Canadians to be aware of the sacrifices our soldiers made in the past. Certainly in the First World War, which tends to be overshadowed by the Second World War,” explains Dr. Bell. “It’s important that everybody has the opportunity to learn about the war and understand the sacrifices and implications that came with it.”

To ensure that as many people as possible have the opportunity to learn about the Great War, these two new courses were made accessible to every student at Dalhousie, regardless of year, major or faculty. The fall course is already well underway, but registration is still open for the winter course.