My doctoral defense, pictured here, in 2009. I’m on the far left, trying to appear polished and professional rather than Exhibit A of imposter syndrome.
According to the Past PhD Fellows page for Religion, Cognition, and Culture at the University of Aarhus, Denmark:
Gretchen Koch’s background is in philosophy of religion, and she is analyzing research from developmental and moral psychology to explore possible cognitive foundations for belief in souls, and the role which that belief plays in moral reasoning. She is particularly interested in the conditions under which practice of empathy may be stimulated or inhibited, and the ways in which narratives concerning the soul may be invoked in post hoc moral justification.
Publications
- Koch, G (2013). Care of the Soul: Empathy in a Dualistic Worldview in Geertz, A.W. (Ed.). (2013). Origins of Religion, Cognition and Culture (1st ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315728988
- Koch, G (2009): The Cognitive Origins of Soul Belief: Purity, Responsibility, and Empathy.
- Koch, G. (2008). Full of Sound and Fury: The Media Response to Dennett. Method & Theory in the Study of Religion, 20(1), 36-44. https://doi.org/10.1163/157006808X260412