AEN micro-grants are available to AEN members in amounts of up to $3,000 to support educational or professional development initiatives on campus that further AEN’s mission. These may be aimed at confronting efforts to delegitimize Israel, educating about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, exploring relevant aspects of Israeli history, society, and culture, or promoting academic freedom and free expression. For example, past micro-grants have assisted in funding symposia on contemporary Israel, bringing prominent speakers to campus, subventing publications on BDS and anti-Zionism in the academy, and hosting relevant film festivals and lecture series.
During the 2021-22 academic year, AEN’s Speakers Bureau will feature three AEN members on topics including pinkwashing, queer pro-BDS activists and their arguments, international support and opposition for the establishment of Israel, Zionism and anti-Zionism among U.S. millennials, and many other topics relevant to AEN’s mission. AEN members can choose from the featured speakers and topics to organize an engagement consisting of a public talk and a participatory session with students and/or faculty in a class, seminar, or other small group. Costs related to in-person events (including speaker travel and hotel) will be covered by AEN. Availability for in-person events is subject to change due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.
A list of speakers and their approved topics can be viewed here, and AEN members can apply to host a speaker here.
AEN’s Regional Short Courses provide an opportunity for AEN members to learn more about contemporary Israel, develop strategies related to BDS on campus, and network with other interested faculty. The purpose of the Short Course is to bolster the knowledge and skill set of AEN members who we hope will be active as regional leaders in AEN’s efforts to respond to BDS and similar challenges on their campuses.
These 3-day courses will be residence-based, academically immersive, and interactive, will be limited to 15-20 participants per course, and will take place in regional hubs around the country. Reasonable travel and stay costs will be paid for by AEN.
Previous Short Courses have taken place in Atlanta, Cleveland, Boca Raton, Boston, Dallas, and Minneapolis.
