Syed Ali is a member of the Class of 2013 at Wesleyan University, majoring in English and Government.  In English, his concentration is Theory and Literary Forms, although he is also strongly interested in American literature and creative writing.  In Government, he is concentrating on international politics, specifically interested in United States foreign policy and international organization.

Since the spring of 2011, Syed has been a member of  the Wesleyan Student Assembly (WSA) as an at-large representative.  This year, he serves as Chair of the Community Outreach Committee (COCo), which is responsible for student groups, relations with Middletown, diversity and inclusion, all-campus events, and more.  See this year’s accomplishments here.  In the 2011-2012 year, he was the WSA’s Information Technology Coordinator, chairing the Information Technology Committee (ITC) while also sitting on the Organization and External Affairs Committee (OEAC).  Read more about his experience on the WSA at syedagmalali.com/wsa.

Syed is also a contributor/editor at the independent student blog Wesleying, which reached over two million hits in 2012.  He has also been a Staff Writer for the college newspaper, The Wesleyan Argus during his freshman and sophomore years.

Syed is involved with Wesleyan Eco-Tools, a project led by Government Professor Mary Alice Haddad to promote awareness of environmental impact within the Wesleyan community.  The Eco-Tools group has created a campus pollution map and a guide to eco-purchasing and is currently planning an environmental conference of the New England liberal arts colleges.

Syed is on the English Majors Committee and on the Student Steering Committee of the Allbritton Center for the Study of Public Life (CSPL).  The majors committee works with Professor Courtney Weiss Smith to cultivate community around the major through events such as Open Mic shows and the Majors Lecture Series.  The CSPL ties together social scientific disciplines and connects them with other sectors of “the public.”

To view professional information, please view Syed’s LinkedIn page.

Research Interests: foreign policy, international organization, nationalism, transnationalism, intersections of government and technology (government 2.0, open government), community building, education policy, political rhetoric, urban studies, public health,