The collection consists of 17 volumes of bound student reports from Wileden's Rural Sociology course in community development at the University of Wisconsin, entitled "Rural Community Analysis, South Central Wisconsin." The reports comprise studies of communities within a fifty-mile radius of Madison. The class studied one community a year from 1949 to 1966; the 1962 report on New Glarus, however, is missing. The reports cover many aspects of each community including historical and ethnic background, religion, education, business and industry, agriculture, organization and planning, and recreation.
The depth and detail of the various analyses are dependent on the number and academic sophistication of the students participating from year to year, since the class was made up of both undergraduate and graduate students specializing in such diverse areas as recreation and agricultural economics.
Each bound report contains an itinerary of the students' initial stay in the community, a description of the student researchers, and a section of recommendations for community improvement. In addition, several volumes contain a section of local newspaper responses to the study. Included with the collection is Professor Wileden's listing of the communities and fields of study under consideration; it is located at the beginning of the collection.
Other writings include Wileden's resume, more rural sociology writings, and some church and fiction essays.
Transparencies include 5 slide shows which include transcripts and audio recordings. There are also slides unassociated with slide shows for several communities. These slides are listed alphabetically by community, followed by five counties listed alphabetically. The communities followed by an * were mostly taken by Wileden's University Claas in Community Development and may coincide with "Rural Community Analysis, South Central Wisconsin" reports
