Listening in on Lessons from 'We Are the World'

Dean teaches ARHU course on arts and humanities of a single song.

By Annie Krakower | Maryland Today

The second Beyoncé obliterated the final note in the Destiny’s Child “Stand Up for Love” music video, students’ hands shot up.

The song, released in 2005 to raise awareness about child poverty worldwide, sounded more like a breakup ballad, one freshman suggested. For another, the over-the-top production detracted from the message, with dramatic closeups of Beyoncé, Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams and a parting shot of them all dressed in white standing on what looked like a giant wedding cake. The aesthetic prompted a hot take from a third student: While she “hates” music videos in general, she loved the “catchy, vibey” song itself. 

The lively discussion was part of an exercise analyzing philanthropy songs—and how they stack up against the one that inspired this new first-year seminar class at the University of Maryland. In “We Are the World: The Arts and Humanities of a Single Song,” taught by Dean Stephanie Shonekan, 24 students this fall are delving into the 1985 charity single by USA for Africa, including its lyrics, composition, context and impact as the era’s biggest names in pop music came together to raise money for Ethiopian famine relief. 

“I felt ‘We Are the World’ would be a great way to think about the connectedness that we have across different cultures and countries. I also felt that it was a good way of thinking about all the different fields in the arts and humanities,” said Shonekan, also a professor of ethnomusicology. “It’s a cheesy song, but … it’s also a song that reminds us of what was happening in 1985.”

Read the full story in Maryland Today.