Each Morita--Mumford--Miller (MMM) class e_n assigns to each genus g >= 2
surface bundle S_g -> E^{2n+2} -> M^{2n} an integer e_n^#(E -> M) :=
in Z. We prove that when n is odd the number e_n^#(E -> M) depends only on the
diffeomorphism type of E, not on g, M, or the map E -> M. More generally, we
prove that e_n^#(E -> M) depends only on the cobordism class of E. Recent work
of Hatcher implies that this stronger statement is false when n is even. If E
-> M is a holomorphic fibering of complex manifolds, we show that for every n
the number e_n^#(E -> M) only depends on the complex cobordism type of E.
We give a general procedure to construct manifolds fibering as surface
bundles in multiple ways, providing infinitely many examples to which our
theorems apply. As an application of our results we give a new proof of the
rational case of a recent theorem of Giansiracusa--Tillmann that the odd MMM
classes e_{2i-1} vanish for any surface bundle which bounds a handlebody
bundle. We show how the MMM classes can be seen as obstructions to low-genus
fiberings. Finally, we discuss a number of open questions that arise from this
work.Comment: 26 pages. v2: added examples to final section; v3: improved main
theorem for complex fiberings; v4: final version, to appear in Journal of
Topolog