PSCI320 - Who Gets Elected and Why

What does it take to get elected to office? What are the key elements of a successful political campaign? What are the crucial issues guiding campaigns and elections in the U.S. at the beginning of the 21st century? This class will address the process and results of electoral politics at the local, state, and federal levels. Course participants will study the stages and strategies of running for public office and will discuss the various influences on getting elected, including: Campaign finance and fundraising, demographics, polling, the media, staffing, economics, and party organization. Each week we will be joined by guest speakers who are nationally recognized professionals, with expertise in different areas of the campaign and election process. Students will also analyze campaign case studies and the career of the instructor himself. Edward G. Rendell is the former Mayor of Philadelphia, former Chair of the Democratic National Committee, and former Governor of Pennsylvania. A note if you are not able to gain a seat in this course: Please write to Professor Fay Walker (listed in the Penn Directory) with your name, year of study, and major in order to be added to a waitlist. The professors will be able to register many waitlisted students in the first week of the semester, but only after the first class session on Monday Sept. 9th, 6pm, in Cohen Hall Room 402. Waitlisted students are encouraged not to miss the first class.