UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — A new seminar that explores how the cultural innovations and political and social developments from 1968 shaped America, and how they draw parallels to today, will be discussed during the next episode of Penn State President Eric J. Barron’s monthly TV show, on Sunday, Feb 11.

“Moments of Change: Remembering ’68,” an edge seminar from the College of the Liberal Arts, will feature panel discussions, movies, lectures and other programs throughout the year. Paul C. Taylor, associate dean for undergraduate studies, and Michael Kulikowski, head of the department of history, will discuss the seminar’s origins and how students can benefit from a multi-designed approach to exploring a single year in American history.

WPSU Penn State’s “Digging Deeper” will air at 11:30 a.m. and 6 p.m. on WPSU-TV.

“The first benefit is to reflect on the ways the past still influences the present, the way that the momentous social changes of the era — civil rights, resistance to the war in Vietnam, women’s rights — have or have not borne fruit today,” Kulikowski said. “The other is to recognize that however much time has gone by, and however much society and technology have changed, the alumni who were here in Happy Valley in 1968 faced many of the same challenges as students do today. It’s a way of bridging the decades and finding a lot of things in common.”

The “Moments of Change: Remembering ’68” website includes a calendar of upcoming events, links to issues of The Daily Collegian, and pages where alumni and community members can submit audio and visual materials into an online archive.

Kulikowski said it is important to talk about and learn from the year’s complex issues.

“If we are to have a free, functioning democratic society, nothing is more important than open dialogue, dialogue that recognizes the complexity of ideas, the complexity of events, and the frequent impossibility of perfect agreement,” he said. “It’s important to remember that we can disagree passionately about things, but not treat those we disagree with like enemies.”

Visit the WPSU website for more information and to watch archived episodes.