Professor of History
Email: George.Lubick@nau.edu
Website: jan.ucc.nau.edu/~gml/
Office phone: (928) 523-6211
Office LA 315
Dr. George Lubick has taught at Northern Arizona University since 1977. A native of Montana, he received his B.A. and M.A. from the University of Mowntana and his Ph.D. from the University of Toledo. National parks and wilderness have captured his scholarly imagination, as evidenced in his book Petrified Forest National Park: A Wilderness Bound in Time. Researching the Petrified Forest introduced him to the role that science has played in shaping national parks, and he is currently working on an article that explores the influence of science and scientists in establishing Yosemite, Yellowstone, Grand Canyon, and Glacier National Parks. His numerous book reviews have appeared in the American Historical Review, Western Historical Quarterly, Journal of Arizona History, History: Review of New Books, and Nevada Historical Review. Currently, he is the principal investigator in an exciting National Science Foundation grant on ecological restoration and the social dimensions of science and technology.
Research and Teaching Interests:
My research and teaching interests generally fall within environmental history. National parks and wilderness have been a particular interest, leading eventually to a book on Petrified Forest National Park. Working on that study introduced me to the role that science has played in shaping national parks, and I am currently working on an article that explores the influence of science and scientists in establishing Yosemite, Yellowstone, Grand Canyon, and Glacier National Parks. I am also in the early stages of work on the Lewis and Clark Expedition and expect to use an up-coming sabbatical to get that study fully underway. Recently, I have introduced two new environmental history courses: HIS 395, Survey of American Environmental History; and HIS 405, Topics in Environmental History.
Courses Taught:
HIS 291: US History to 1865
HIS 292: US History since 1865
HIS 394 Recent America
HIS 411 American Environmental History (to be replaced next year by HIS 395
and HIS 405)
HIS 412 The City in American History
HIS 568 Readings Seminar in American Environmental History
HIS 568 Research Seminar in American Environmental History
Recent Publications:
Petrified Forest National Park: A Wilderness Bound in Stone. Tucson: University of Arizona Press, 1996.
Recent Book Reviews have appeared in American Historical Review, Western
Historical Quarterly, Journal of Arizona History, History: Review of New
Books, and Nevada Historical Review
Professional Service:
Last spring I served as interim director of the Master of Liberal Studies Program and taught the program's capstone seminar which focused on elements of sustainable communities. That experience introduced me to new literature about community and sustainable environments, which I have started to integrate into my environmental history courses. From both students and visiting lecturers in MLS I also got an introduction to bioregionalism and ecological restoration. I am clearly a novice to these new fields, but I work consistently to expand my understanding of both. Naturally, ideas from these disciplines have found their way into my courses and research, too.