Mobile Women: Transnational Work Patterns This course examines women's work in the formal labor sectors to offer a critical perspective on contemporary local and global patterns. The materials will cover concerns that are central to women in the United States such as the glass ceiling, the wage gap, and the pink-collar ghetto. The course will also offer a transnational perspective through an analysis of the central role migrant female laborers have come to play in the global economy. This section will cover issues such as the traffic in domestic workers, nannies and sex workers. We will interrogate how feminist theories are able to accommodate the uneven development of women's rights at the global and local levels. Through a few case studies students will also be introduced to alternative work patterns established by groups such as the greenbelt movement in Kenya and SEWA in India.

The Politics of Reproduction: Sex, Abortion, and Motherhood In this course we will examine contemporary reproductive issues both in the United States and around the world. We will work to understand both how reproductive politics are informed by broader cultural ideas regarding gender, race, class, ability, sexuality, and geography and also how ideas about reproduction reinforce conceptions of these very identity markers and ways of experiencing the world. Because requirements for being considered a “good” woman are intimately tied to what it means to be a “good” mother, challenging dominant understandings of gender and sexuality requires critical engagement with ideas about reproduction.

Indian Cinema: Romance, Nation, and Identity In this course we will use the lens of romance to examine the world's largest film-making industry.  Focusing primarily on Hindi cinema produced in Bombay/Mumbai, we will examine the narrative conventions, aesthetic devices (such as song-dance sequences), and other cinematic conventions that are unique to Indian films' narration of romance.  Through a historical overview of films from the silent, colonial, and post-colonial eras into the contemporary era of globalization, we will track how the family is configured, the assignment of gender roles, and how national identity is allegorized through family romance.  The course includes weekly screenings of films, which will be sub-titled in English.

Feminism: Global Roots of a Movement Feminism has transformed how we think about gender, race, and sexuality. Around the world, the movement has taken different approaches to make claims for equitable political and social rights. Simultaneously, feminism as an intellectual project has shifted how we approach knowledge production and craft scholarship. Through case studies, we will explore how the histories and cultural contexts of different parts of the world shape the practice of feminism. We will also analyze the efficacy of specific activist projects.

Beyond #Me Too: Feminist Activism against Sexual Violence Since the 19th century feminist activism has sought to mitigate and redress the effects of sexual violence. Through a series of case studies, in this course we will examine the ways in which activists have contested and redefined our understandings of sexual violence. By addressing the differences in national and global activist moments, historical and contemporary, the course will help clarify how activism helps reshape the sphere of the political. Each case study will also draw attention to the ways in which feminists have engaged with the categories of difference and the politics of marginalization. The critical lens developed will help students imagine options that sidestep carceral justice or judicial reform.

Feminist Theory The course offers an overview of key feminist texts and theories that have shaped the analysis of gender and sexuality. We will examine foundational theoretical texts that have animated the field of gender, sexuality, and feminist studies. Working within a transnational perspective, the course encompasses texts which fall under the categories of critical race and critical sexuality studies. (GSFS 0200 or GSFS 0191 or GSFS 0289) 3 hr. lect.

Sujata Moorti

Reviews and ratings for Sujata Moorti at Middlebury College.Sujata Moorti teaches Mobile Women, Politics of Reproduction, Indian Cinema Romance and more.  Explore top rated instructors and find the best for you.Is Sujata Moorti good ? Find out on MiddCourses.

I took this class out of pure interest, but it is safe to say that I would take it again. Dr. Moorti is a very sweet woman who is definitely passionate about her teaching. As far as coursework, there are readings to be completed and two annotations to be made on each reading before the class period; every once in a while, there will be a film instead of a reading, and there are no exams, but there are story maps that are to be completed throughout the semester. Overall, the work is very manageable. 

The main project in this class is a story map that is broken up into three segments. The final version of this is our final project. This class includes pre-class readings, followed by discussions. Sujata is very passionate and makes the class engaging and interactive. 

Sujata clearly is passionate about the material. This class is not very hard. Unfortunately, it's a little repetitive in the reading material.  The projects are storyboards which are effectively graphic essays which is a nice switch up from regular essays. 