{"id":1059,"date":"2018-11-28T15:32:04","date_gmt":"2018-11-28T22:32:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nau.edu\/history-department\/?page_id=1059"},"modified":"2024-08-16T13:31:00","modified_gmt":"2024-08-16T20:31:00","slug":"michael-amundson","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/department-history\/faculty-bios\/michael-amundson\/","title":{"rendered":"Michael Amundson"},"content":{"rendered":"<h1>Dr. Michael Amundson<\/h1>\n<h2>About Me:<\/h2>\n<p><span data-sheets-formula-bar-text-style=\"font-size:13px;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;text-decoration:none;font-family:'Arial';font-style:normal;text-decoration-skip-ink:none;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/directory.nau.edu\/person\/maa8\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-1615\" src=\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/department-history\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/335\/mike-with-camera-michael-amundson-272x300.jpg\" alt=\"A portrait of Dr. Michael Amundson\" width=\"173\" height=\"190\" srcset=\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/335\/mike-with-camera-michael-amundson-272x300.jpg 272w, https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/335\/mike-with-camera-michael-amundson-927x1024.jpg 927w, https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/335\/mike-with-camera-michael-amundson-768x848.jpg 768w, https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/335\/mike-with-camera-michael-amundson-1391x1536.jpg 1391w, https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/335\/mike-with-camera-michael-amundson-543x600.jpg 543w, https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/335\/mike-with-camera-michael-amundson.jpg 1572w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 173px) 100vw, 173px\" \/><\/a>I teach courses on the American West, Public History, Sports History, and US history. I started at NAU in the fall of 1997 and feel fortunate to have spent my career in such a beautiful and special place. When I&#8217;m not teaching, I enjoy hiking with my wife and our dog Jewel, mountain biking, and working on my model trains.<\/span><\/p>\n<!-- shortcode-accordion -->\n<div class=\"shortcode-accordion shortcode-accordion--closed\" style=\"position: relative;\" >\n        <h4 class=\"shortcode-accordion__header\">\n        <button type=\"button\" class=\"shortcode-accordion__trigger\" data-header=\"New Classes from Professor Amundson!_0\" id=\"shortcode-accordion-1-trigger\" aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-controls=\"shortcode-accordion-1-panel\">\n            New Classes from Professor Amundson!\n            <span class=\"shortcode-accordion__header__arrow\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/span>\n        <\/button>\n    <\/h4>\n    <div class=\"shortcode-accordion__body\" id=\"shortcode-accordion-1-panel\" role=\"region\" aria-labelledby=\"shortcode-accordion-1-trigger\" inert>\n        <html><body>\n<p><span data-sheets-formula-bar-text-style=\"font-size:13px;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;text-decoration:none;font-family:'Arial';font-style:normal;text-decoration-skip-ink:none;\">I\u2019ll be teaching <a href=\"https:\/\/catalog.nau.edu\/Courses\/course?courseId=010244&amp;term=1237\">US Sports History<\/a> in the fall, which although not a new class, is one that I don\u2019t teach very often.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<!-- shortcode-accordion -->\n<div class=\"shortcode-accordion shortcode-accordion--closed\" style=\"position: relative;\" >\n        <h4 class=\"shortcode-accordion__header\">\n        <button type=\"button\" class=\"shortcode-accordion__trigger\" data-header=\"Whats your favorite class to teach?_0\" id=\"shortcode-accordion-2-trigger\" aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-controls=\"shortcode-accordion-2-panel\">\n            Whats your favorite class to teach?\n            <span class=\"shortcode-accordion__header__arrow\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/span>\n        <\/button>\n    <\/h4>\n    <div class=\"shortcode-accordion__body\" id=\"shortcode-accordion-2-panel\" role=\"region\" aria-labelledby=\"shortcode-accordion-2-trigger\" inert>\n        <html><body>\n<p><span data-sheets-formula-bar-text-style=\"font-size:13px;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;text-decoration:none;font-family:'Arial';font-style:normal;text-decoration-skip-ink:none;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/catalog.nau.edu\/Courses\/course?courseId=004202&amp;term=1237\">HIS 369: The US West Transformed<\/a> because it most aligns with my research interests and so I not only know a lot about the subject matter but also have some fun things to share with students like 3D images and music. Another favorite is the co-convened <a href=\"https:\/\/catalog.nau.edu\/Courses\/course?courseId=012649&amp;term=1237\">HIS 420<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/catalog.nau.edu\/Courses\/course?courseId=011178&amp;term=1237\">HIS 502 Public History<\/a> courses. I like these because they introduce history majors and graduate students to another way of thinking about history\u2013for the public\u2013and I\u2019m always delighted to see students learn that there are actual jobs in history besides teaching public school or going on for a PhD. I also enjoy taking students to meet working history professionals in the field at archives, museums, and national parks.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<!-- shortcode-accordion -->\n<div class=\"shortcode-accordion shortcode-accordion--closed\" style=\"position: relative;\" >\n        <h4 class=\"shortcode-accordion__header\">\n        <button type=\"button\" class=\"shortcode-accordion__trigger\" data-header=\"What have you been up to lately?_0\" id=\"shortcode-accordion-3-trigger\" aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-controls=\"shortcode-accordion-3-panel\">\n            What have you been up to lately?\n            <span class=\"shortcode-accordion__header__arrow\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/span>\n        <\/button>\n    <\/h4>\n    <div class=\"shortcode-accordion__body\" id=\"shortcode-accordion-3-panel\" role=\"region\" aria-labelledby=\"shortcode-accordion-3-trigger\" inert>\n        <html><body>\n<figure id=\"attachment_1614\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1614\" style=\"width: 213px;\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/upcolorado.com\/university-of-wyoming-press\/item\/6254-the-art-and-life-of-merritt-dana-houghton-in-the-northern-rockies-1878-1919\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1614 \" src=\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/department-history\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/335\/Houghton-cover-michael-amundson-300x236.jpg\" alt=\"The cover of The Art and Life of Merritt Dana Houghton in the Northern Rockies, 1878-1919 by Michael A. Amundson\" width=\"213\" height=\"174\"><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-1614\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><em>The Art and Life of Merritt Dana Houghton in the Northern Rockies, 1878-1919<\/em><br>by Michael A. Amundson<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span data-sheets-formula-bar-text-style=\"font-size:13px;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;text-decoration:none;font-family:'Arial';font-style:normal;text-decoration-skip-ink:none;\">My <a href=\"https:\/\/upcolorado.com\/university-of-wyoming-press\/item\/6254-the-art-and-life-of-merritt-dana-houghton-in-the-northern-rockies-1878-1919\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">most recent book<\/a>\u2013my 7th\u2013 is a biography of an artist who sketched bird\u2019s eye view drawings of towns, ranches, mines, and other landscapes in Wyoming, Colorado, Montana, Idaho, and Washington state between 1891 and 1915. I started on this project as an undergrad at the University of Wyoming in 1988 and published an article about him in 1994. Then, in 2018, I was invited to give a talk about him at a small museum in Wyoming and started researching him again only to find that this thing called the internet made a wealth of information available that wasn\u2019t possible back in the early 1990s. My other books focus on the history of photography in the West, cowboy music played on Edison cylinders before the invention of radio, and the atomic West. I\u2019ve also published articles on the history of elk in Arizona and on Mars in Arizonan\u2019s imaginations.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<!-- shortcode-accordion -->\n<div class=\"shortcode-accordion shortcode-accordion--closed\" style=\"position: relative;\" >\n        <h4 class=\"shortcode-accordion__header\">\n        <button type=\"button\" class=\"shortcode-accordion__trigger\" data-header=\"What\u2019s next for you?_0\" id=\"shortcode-accordion-4-trigger\" aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-controls=\"shortcode-accordion-4-panel\">\n            What\u2019s next for you?\n            <span class=\"shortcode-accordion__header__arrow\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/span>\n        <\/button>\n    <\/h4>\n    <div class=\"shortcode-accordion__body\" id=\"shortcode-accordion-4-panel\" role=\"region\" aria-labelledby=\"shortcode-accordion-4-trigger\" inert>\n        <html><body>\n<p><span data-sheets-formula-bar-text-style=\"font-size:13px;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;text-decoration:none;font-family:'Arial';font-style:normal;text-decoration-skip-ink:none;\">I plan to get back to an ongoing research project focusing on the biography of a heretofore unknown photographer who traveled the country in 1940 making unique color three dimensional photographs of western national parks, the two world\u2019s fairs, and views in cities from Miami to Boston and Tacoma to San Antonio. As part of this work, I\u2019ve been rephotographing his shots using paired digital cameras so that I can make modern 3D digital images of the same locations. I plan to do some fieldwork on this in Los Angeles this year.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<!-- shortcode-accordion -->\n<div class=\"shortcode-accordion shortcode-accordion--closed\" style=\"position: relative;\" >\n        <h4 class=\"shortcode-accordion__header\">\n        <button type=\"button\" class=\"shortcode-accordion__trigger\" data-header=\"Tell us about the programs you direct_0\" id=\"shortcode-accordion-5-trigger\" aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-controls=\"shortcode-accordion-5-panel\">\n            Tell us about the programs you direct\n            <span class=\"shortcode-accordion__header__arrow\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/span>\n        <\/button>\n    <\/h4>\n    <div class=\"shortcode-accordion__body\" id=\"shortcode-accordion-5-panel\" role=\"region\" aria-labelledby=\"shortcode-accordion-5-trigger\" inert>\n        <html><body>\n<p><span data-sheets-formula-bar-text-style=\"font-size:13px;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;text-decoration:none;font-family:'Arial';font-style:normal;text-decoration-skip-ink:none;\">As the <a href=\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/department-history\/graduate-degrees\/history-ma\/\">Graduate Director<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/department-history\/graduate-degrees\/emphasis-public-history\/\">Public History<\/a> director, I advise students interested in those two areas as well as undergraduates interested in the <a href=\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/department-history\/accelerated-ma-program\/\">4+1 accelerated MA program<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<!-- shortcode-accordion -->\n<div class=\"shortcode-accordion shortcode-accordion--closed\" style=\"position: relative;\" >\n        <h4 class=\"shortcode-accordion__header\">\n        <button type=\"button\" class=\"shortcode-accordion__trigger\" data-header=\"What do you like to do outside of school?_0\" id=\"shortcode-accordion-6-trigger\" aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-controls=\"shortcode-accordion-6-panel\">\n            What do you like to do outside of school?\n            <span class=\"shortcode-accordion__header__arrow\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/span>\n        <\/button>\n    <\/h4>\n    <div class=\"shortcode-accordion__body\" id=\"shortcode-accordion-6-panel\" role=\"region\" aria-labelledby=\"shortcode-accordion-6-trigger\" inert>\n        <html><body>\n<p><span data-sheets-formula-bar-text-style=\"font-size:13px;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;text-decoration:none;font-family:'Arial';font-style:normal;text-decoration-skip-ink:none;\">We love to take our dog Jewel for walks in the forest, go mountain biking, skiing\/snowshoeing, and playing with my model trains.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_1616\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1616\" style=\"width: 600px;\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-uncropped-large wp-image-1616\" src=\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/department-history\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/335\/Mikes-Garden-RR-michael-amundson-600x450.jpg\" alt=\"A photograph of Professor Amundson's outdoor model train set\" width=\"600\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/335\/Mikes-Garden-RR-michael-amundson-600x450.jpg 600w, https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/335\/Mikes-Garden-RR-michael-amundson-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/335\/Mikes-Garden-RR-michael-amundson-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/335\/Mikes-Garden-RR-michael-amundson-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/335\/Mikes-Garden-RR-michael-amundson-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/335\/Mikes-Garden-RR-michael-amundson-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/335\/Mikes-Garden-RR-michael-amundson-800x600.jpg 800w, https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/335\/Mikes-Garden-RR-michael-amundson-464x348.jpg 464w, https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/335\/Mikes-Garden-RR-michael-amundson-232x174.jpg 232w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-1616\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Train of Thought<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/body><\/html>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<!-- shortcode-right-column -->\n<div class=\"shortcode-right-column\" >\n    <div class=\"shortcode-right-column__container\">\n<!-- shortcode-contact -->\n<div class=\"shortcode-contact\">\n    <div class=\"contact-header\">\n        <h3>Contact Professor Amundson<\/h3>\n    <\/div>\n    <div class=\"contact-body\">\n                <a href=\"mailto:Michael.Amundson@nau.edu\" aria-label=\"Contact Professor Amundson: Email Address\" title=\"Email Address\">\n            <div class=\"contact-icon-container\">\n                <i class=\"fas fa-envelope\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>\n                <span class=\"sr-only\">Email:<\/span>\n            <\/div>\n            <div class=\"contact-email\">Michael.Amundson&#8203;@nau.edu<\/div>\n        <\/a>\n                        <a href=\"tel:928-523-6331\" aria-label=\"Contact Professor Amundson: Telephone Number\" title=\"Telephone Number\">\n            <div class=\"contact-icon-container\">\n                <i class=\"fas fa-phone\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>\n                <span class=\"sr-only\">Call:<\/span>\n            <\/div>\n            <div class=\"contact-phone\">928-523-6331<\/div>\n        <\/a>\n            <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/h6>\n<div class=\"eplus-bg-color-row bg-color-extra-light-gray\"><div class=\"eplus-bg-color-row-content\">\n<h4>Office<\/h4>\n<p><span class=\"d-inline-block\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/maps\/dir\/\/35.1913937,-111.6539686\/@35.1914224,-111.7364096,12z?entry=ttu\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Liberal Arts (18)<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Room 315<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<!-- shortcode-button -->\n<div class=\"shortcode-button shortcode-button--center\">\n      <a class=\"main-button\" href=\"https:\/\/directory.nau.edu\/person\/maa8\">View Professor Amundson\u2019s Full Profile and State CV<\/a>\n  <\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Dr. Michael Amundson About Me: I teach courses on the American West, Public History, Sports History, and US history. I started at NAU in the fall of 1997 and feel fortunate to have spent my career in such a beautiful and special place. When I&#8217;m not teaching, I enjoy hiking with my wife and our [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":284,"featured_media":1602,"parent":788,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"ring_central_script_selection":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-1059","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/department-history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1059","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/department-history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/department-history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/department-history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/284"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/department-history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1059"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/department-history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1059\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1875,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/department-history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1059\/revisions\/1875"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/department-history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/788"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/department-history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1602"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/department-history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1059"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}