Rate My Professor Ed Rendell

Edward G. Rendell serves as a professor at the University of Pennsylvania, teaching in the Department of Political Science. As a member of the Class of 1965 from the College of Arts and Sciences, he returned to his alma mater in 2000 following eight years as Mayor of Philadelphia. Rendell previously chaired the Democratic National Committee and served as Governor of Pennsylvania from 2003 to 2011. His distinguished career in public service informs his academic contributions, particularly through courses in political science and urban studies.

In Political Science, Rendell instructs PSCI 320, "Who Gets Elected and Why," an undergraduate course meeting Mondays from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. in Cohn 402. The course examines electoral politics at local, state, and federal levels, covering campaign strategies, finance, demographics, polling, media influences, and party organization, enriched by guest speakers and case studies from his career. He also teaches "Can Cities Survive?" in urban studies from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. the same day, drawing on mayoral experiences like neighborhood merchants on East Passyunk Avenue combating chain stores, addressing residential segregation in Mount Airy, and advancing domestic-partnership legislation. Having taught the political science course at Penn in 1987 and business law at Drexel University two decades earlier, Rendell views teaching as fun, interesting, and challenging. Classes emphasize discussions of assigned readings and real-world issues, with open evaluations of their merit; he receives input from his son Jesse (C'02) on classroom management and highlights key contributions from scholars such as Wharton's Dr. Inman on city finances, Anita Summers on wage taxes, and Michael Porter on urban economic development.