Remembrance Day was created to commemorate members of the armed forces who have died in the line of duty and those who continue to serve Canada in times of war and peace. The date, Nov. 11, also marks the time when fighting stopped in the First World War.                     

As Remembrance Day approaches, media are invited to speak with several University of Lethbridge professors who have studied wartime and its effects on those who fought and those who stayed at home.

Dr. Kristine Alexander, a history professor, has studied young people’s experience on the home front during the First World War. The war changed what children learned in the classroom as Departments of Education and teachers developed war-related assignments. Canadian children also played with war-related toys like board games, toy soldiers and toy guns. Alexander has also studied correspondence between soldiers and their families to understand how the war affected wives and children. She can be reached by email at kristine.alexander@uleth.ca.

Jason Breen, an instructor in the Department of Philosophy, has taught classes about the philosophy of war. This includes the morality of war, particularly how just-war theory serves as a middle ground between the Hawks, who believe that might makes right and that there are no moral restrictions on war, and the Doves, who argue that war is never morally justifiable. He can also discuss ethical considerations during the three phases of war: entering, prosecuting, and ending armed conflicts, as well as the moral responsibilities of those involved in war toward their opponents, their troops and civilians on both sides. Contact caroline.zentner@uleth.ca to arrange an interview.

Dr. Amy Shaw is a history professor who has taught about and researched Canada in wartime, especially the First and Second World Wars. Her focus is often on gender and citizenship. She has written books about conscientious objection in the First World War and about the experiences and activities of women and girls of Canada and Newfoundland during both world wars. She has also published on the War in South Africa, Canada’s first overseas military action. Shaw can be reached at amy.shaw@uleth.ca.