Giannis Vasilopoulos has been elected to the APA Graduate Student Council for 2024-2026 and as Liaison to the APA Committee on LGBTQ+ People in the Profession. His paper “Genderqueers, Activists, and Other Critical Gender Kinds” will be presented at the 2025 APA Central Division Meeting, and he co-edited Liber Amicorum in Honor of Professor Stelios Virvidakis.
Check out this great interview with Giannis:
Could you share a little about your academic or professional background before starting at GSU?
I took my first philosophy class in high school, an elective during my junior year at the Art High School of Gerakas in Greece. I was mesmerized. My teacher, Valia Koutsouri, would challenge me with puzzles and questions that I would spend weeks or even months trying to solve. We never spelled out the rules of that game, but that’s what it was. Philosophy was entirely new to me, but it had me in its grip.
Around the same time, I was signed as a lyricist and author at Mikri Arktos, one of Greece’s most highly regarded record labels and publishing houses. This opportunity came unexpectedly when, at the age of 15, I submitted some of my early lyrics to their songwriting competition and was selected from over 650 contestants. Paraskevas Karasoulos, the publisher of Mikri Arktos and a renowned poet and lyricist, became my mentor, friend, and daily interlocutor, inspiring me to think deeply about the questions that matter most and the power of words for over a decade now.
For my undergraduate studies, I enrolled in the Department of History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Athens. My time there bridged my initial interest in philosophy with my passion for words, giving discipline to my thought and teaching me how to read, write, and think within the structure of analytic philosophy. Over the years, I worked on diverse topics, including later Wittgenstein, the philosophy of history, the philosophy of science, and the history of analytic philosophy, through several optional term papers. My academic mentors, Professors Vasso Kindi and Stelios Virvidakis, were instrumental in that process and remain dear friends to this day.
I graduated as valedictorian in 2022, having completed my BA while working up to 40 hours a week as a theater cashier and customer care agent to support myself.
What inspired you to pursue an MA in Philosophy, and why did you choose Georgia State University? How has your journey through the program evolved so far?
When I was researching graduate programs in North America, Georgia State University stood out for its strength in social and political philosophy. I felt an immediate sense of alignment when I came across the work of Dr. Christie Hartley. A conversation with a GSU student at the time, Carter Delegal, confirmed this impression. When I asked him if anyone in the program had been a mentor to him, he immediately mentioned Dr. Hartley. Choosing GSU meant leaving behind my apartment, family, and friends in Greece, but it has been one of the most rewarding decisions of my life. In addition to Dr. Hartley, I have found tremendous support and inspiration in my classes and conversations with Drs. S.M. Love and A.I. Cohen, whose impact on my academic and personal growth is already evident.
What is your current research focus? How did you choose this area of study?
I often think about what it means to have the epistemic authority to understand oppression or the standing to address its conditions when one lacks lived experience of it. These questions began to take shape for me as I noticed a recurring assumption in social justice literature: that allies require authorization from the oppressed groups they seek to support, based on a presumed lack of capacity to understand and address others’ oppression. In my MA thesis, I challenge this assumption. Drawing on recent work, I argue that while the lived experience of oppression is valuable, it is neither necessary nor sufficient to determine one’s ability to understand or dismantle it. Rather, the capacity to address oppression is open to people regardless of their group membership and hinges on demonstrating a principled commitment to justice. What defines one’s allyship, then, is not group membership or authorization but the principled demonstration of that commitment, a framework I develop in what I call the Political Commitment Account of Allyship.
What has been your favorite class so far, and why? Have there been any particularly memorable or challenging assignments or projects?
Each class I’ve taken at GSU has informed my work in unique ways. Dr. Love’s courses on philosophy of law and her seminar on Capitalism and Freedom, Dr. Hartley’s Feminist Philosophy class and our independent study on Sex, Sexual Orientation, and Sexual Identity, Dr. Cohen’s seminar on moral repair, and Dr. Weiskopf’s class on philosophy of language have all shaped my approach to philosophy over the past year. The independent study with Dr. Hartley was especially important. meeting weekly to discuss new readings, refining questions, and developing paper ideas was an opportunity like no other for my growth as a philosophy student. It was truly a masterclass in philosophical thinking and writing. I am grateful to Dr. Hartley for her willingness to guide me through this process, which ended up becoming the basis of my thesis.
What advice would you give to prospective students considering an MA in Philosophy? Looking back, is there anything you wish you had known or done differently when starting the program?
I recommend approaching the program with clear intentions. I came to GSU knowing I wanted to continue to a PhD afterward, which shaped my course selections and research focus. I prioritized classes aligned with my interests, those that could directly inform my thesis, and those that would support my transition from the philosophy of science to social philosophy. Because of the short timeframe of an MA program, it’s important to balance exploration with focus. There will be plenty of time to branch out during a PhD or later in life!
Are you involved in any extracurricular activities, organizations, or events related to Philosophy or other interests? How do you balance academic life with personal life or other responsibilities?
I have had the privilege of serving as president of the Minorities and Philosophy (MAP) Chapter at GSU, as a member of the APA Graduate Student Council, and as a liaison to the APA Committee on LGBT+ People in the Profession. Alongside these roles, I teach approximately 130 undergraduate students each semester. Beyond academia, I am collaborating with my friend and singer Dimitra Selemidou and composer Kostas Tsirkas on our upcoming album, set to be released in early 2025. Balancing all these with writing my thesis and applying to PhD programs has kept me busy and excited. Finally, I am honored and grateful to have received the Alexander S. Onassis Foundation Scholarship, the most selective national scholarship for Greek graduate students excelling abroad. This recognition motivates me to continue my work and to honor the trust placed in me by my mentors, friends, and family.
Giannis Vassilopoulos (GSU ’25) is a second-year master’s student in philosophy at Georgia State University and an Alexander S. Onassis Foundation Scholar. Before coming to GSU, he earned his BA from the University of Athens. Learn more about his work at: giannisvassilopoulos.com.