Betsy Jose

Betsy Jose

Graduate Student, 2007 Cohort

About Betsy Jose

Betsy Jose graduated from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi in 1995 with a Masters degree in Sociology. As an international student hailing from India, she has extensive work experience in the NGO as well as the media sector. While in India, Betsy worked with organizations like TARSHI (Talking About Reproductive and Sexual Health Issues) and the YWCA (Young Women's Christian Association) of Delhi. She has also volunteered with Sangini (India) Trust. Betsy worked in the media sector in radio, TV and film in various capacities including radio show host, TV Producer, TV host, associate director, scriptwriter and voiceover artiste to mention a few. Her interests revolve around media and its repercussions on the shaping of perceptions about gender and sexuality.

Betsy strongly believes in the power of film as a vehicle of creating discourses to counter hegemonic ideologies. In the course of pursuing her Ph.D. along with a minor in Telecommunications, Betsy has already produced a couple of shorts on the Kinsey Institute here on campus. They are featured on Kinsey Institute’s website.

Betsy's research interests revolve around the changing landscape of alternative sexualities in non-western cultures and the impact of media mechanisms, particularly film, on this phenomenon. In the summer of 2014, Betsy started the Alex Doty and Betsy Jose Indian Queer Film Collection at the Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender, and Reproduction. This Collection is a tribute to her mentor and guide, Professor Alexander Doty, whom we lost to a road accident in Bermuda in 2012. The Alex Doty and Betsy Jose Indian Queer Film Collection will comprise mainly independent films being made within India that have queer-related content.

Education History

M.A., Gender Studies, Indiana University, Bloomington, 2015

M.A., Sociology, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, 1995

B.A., Sociology, Jesus and Mary College, University of Delhi, 1993

Research Interests

Comparative studies of sexuality and the changing face and space of intimacies in non-western cultures, film-making, media studies with reference to gender and sexuality, social activism.

Beyond Boundaries Documentary

A documentary film “Beyond Boundaries” produced and directed by third-year doctoral student Betsy Jose had its World Premiere at the IndyLGBT Film Festival in November 2009. The 26+ minutes film takes a close look at the lives of immigrants in USA with diverse sexualities. It deals with how various aspects of their identities intersect and interact in making their experiences distinct, as well as similar in many ways. This film, produced for broadcast on WTIU, has been made by a documentary class that Betsy pursued in Spring 2009. "Beyond Boundaries" is Betsy's debut documentary film.

Official Selection for “Beyond Boundaries” at:
Delhi International Queer Theatre and Film Festival 2015, New Delhi, India Opening Film

Q Fest 2015, Mumbai, India

Great Lakes International Film Festival 2010
Nominated for Best Gay/Lesbian Film

Kashish Mumbai International Queer Film Festival 2010, Mumbai, India (Asia Premiere)
Nominated for Best Documentary Short

Los Angeles Women's International Film Festival 2010, Hollywood CA

Pride of the Ocean Cruise 2010, NY to Bermuda

CineSlam Film Festival 2010, Guilford, VT
Nominated for Best Short Film

Out Side Film Festival 2010, Columbus, IN

Indy LGBT Film Festival 2009, Indianapolis, IN (World Premiere)
Nominated for Best Short Documentary

Conference Presentations

2014, Diversity Research Symposium, Ball State University, Muncie, IN Film Presentation and Q&A – “Beyond Boundaries: Experiences of Immigrants with Diverse Sexualities”

2014, International Association for Media and Communication Research (IAMCR), Hyderabad, India. Paper presented – “Queerative Spaces: The 2013 Kashish Mumbai International Queer Film Festival” with the Gender and Communication Section in a Panel on Feminism, Activism and Media. 

2009, International Communication Association (ICA), Chicago, IL
Paper presented – “Cinema’s Scope: Gay and Lesbian Visibility in Contemporary Indian Cinema” at the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Studies division in a session on Global Sexualities.

Awards

2016, The Outstanding Graduate Student Award Department of Gender Studies, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN

2016, Humanities Without Walls Pre-Doctoral Fellowship, Humanities Without Walls Consortium, Urbana, IL

2015, The Mellon Innovating International Research, Teaching & Collaboration Graduate Dissertation Fellowship, University Graduate School, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN

2015, In Light Film Festival Fellowship, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN

2014   Santosh Jain Endowed Memorial Scholarship, The University Graduate School, Indiana University, Bloomington

2013  Gerald J. and Claire Larson Research-Travel Fellowship, Dhar India Studies Program, Indiana University, Bloomington

2010  Summer Pre-Dissertation Travel Grant, Office of the Vice President of International Affairs, Indiana University, Bloomington 

2009  The Larry Gross Award for the Top Student Paper, International Communication Association (ICA) Conference, Chicago, IL

Filmography

2016, “The New View Campaign – The Final Conference” – in production

2009, “Beyond Boundaries” (This film is now part of the programming content of WTIU PBS network)

2009, “One Person Can Make a Difference” Featured as part of the publicity and trailer for the play 'Rachael's Cafe', touring the UK (2012 Brighton Fringe & 2012 Dublin Gay Theatre Festival) and USA (Link)

2008, Inside the Kinsey Library 

2008, All About the Kinsey Institute