In a program at the English Department of Eastern Mediterranean University on May 18, 2009, Nicosia Public Affairs Officer Jim Ellickson-Brown led a discussion on the historical context and meaning of two classic American songs. With guitar in hand, he introduced the group of thirty students to “God Bless America” by Irving Berlin and “This Land Is Your Land” by Woody Guthrie. Illustrating how music is utilized as a form of political expression in the United States, the former music teacher explained how Berlin had been inspired to write his “hymn for peace” less than a year before the outbreak of World War II and why Guthrie had felt the need to include two verses protesting the socio-economic conditions of the day in his classic anthem.