Ali Masood

  • Assistant Professor of Politics

Areas of Study

Education

  • BBA, economics, University of Georgia
  • BA, political science, Georgia State University
  • MA, political science, University of South Carolina
  • PhD, political science, University of South Carolina

Biography

Ali Masood is an assistant professor of politics and law & society at Oberlin College. His research focuses on American political institutions, particularly law and courts. Broadly, his work centers on the impact of legal and political institutions. He aims to provide a better understanding of the complex ways in which judicial actors at various levels of the judiciary interact to shape legal and policy outcomes. His research also explores how scandals, partisan polarization, and elite cues shape public perceptions of legal institutions, including the U.S. Supreme Court, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Department of Justice.

Masood is working on several projects, including how ideological polarization impacts decision-making in the U.S. Supreme Court as well as how affective animus shapes public support for the Court and its decisions.

His research is supported by the National Science Foundation and has been published or is forthcoming in American Politics Research, Journal of Law and Courts, Law & Social Inquiry, Political Research Quarterly, Politics, Groups, and Identities, PS: Political Science & Politics, and Social Science Quarterly.

He teaches courses on civil rights and civil liberties, constitutional law, judicial politics, judicial simulation, and a research seminar on the U.S. Supreme Court.

Fall 2024

Constitutional Law: Separation of Powers — POLT 288

Judicial Simulation — POLT 289

Spring 2025

Comparative Courts — POLT 201

Constitutional Law: Civil Rights and Civil Liberties — POLT 287

The U.S. Supreme Court — POLT 373

Notes

News

Beyond the Writing Center: Abbie Patchen ’24

November 7, 2024

Abbie Patchen ’24 is a Juris Doctor (JD) candidate at the University of North Carolina School of Law. While at Oberlin, Abbie pursued a minor in Writing & Communication, and was involved with the Writing Associates program, where students assist their peers through writing advice and tutoring. Recently, her work was published within the scholarly publishing collaborative WAC Clearinghouse — work that began as an assignment for Teaching and Tutoring Writing Across the Disciplines, taught by Professor of Writing and Communication Laurie Hovell McMillin. Here, she reflects on how her Oberlin courses and professors shaped her approach to learning and writing.

Explore Related Departments