For this assignment, you may choose one of the following prompts to answer. Please identify the question you have chosen to answer on your paper.

Option A: Analyze the changes in the social structure, institutions, and culture of the Oelwein, IA community between 1980 and 2010, as they are described in Methland. (In other words, you are not required to do any additional research on elements of the community that are not described in the book). The paper should include a clear description of the way Oelwien was “before” the changes described in the book. It should attempt to explain why and how change occurred, as well as describing what changed. Be sure to relate the changes in Oelwein to larger national and international trends.

Option B: Analyze the national and international social and economic structural forces that are identified in the book as relating to the fate of places like Oelwein. The paper must include a detailed description and explanation of the history during that time of at least two specific industries or institutions. Be sure to relate the larger structural changes directly to life in Oelwein. Optional: Incorporate into your analysis one of the following concepts discussed in the book: globalization, disconnected states, illicit trade.

Option C: Use one or more of the concepts from Burgett and Hendler’s Keywords in American Cultural Studies to frame an analysis of the events and social dynamics described in Methland. The paper must clearly define the concept being applied, utilizing the essay in Keywords, and give detailed description and explanation of the how the concept explains the experience of Oelwein. The following selections from Keywords, posted on our Blackboard site, may be useful: Capitalism, Community, Corporation, Economy, Globalization, Market. You may also select other concepts with my approval.

Format: typed, double-spaced, 3-7 pages. Be sure to give a page number for all questions and examples, and include a bibliography.