Sean O'Brien

Sean O'Brien

Academic Service Officer II

sean_obrien@wayne.edu

3109 FA/B

Department

History, Employment and Labor Relations

Sean O'Brien

 

Sean O'Brien graduated with his Ph.D. in History from Wayne State University in December, 2024. His dissertation focused on creative labor in the comics industry. He has taught pre-modern and modern sections of East Asian history, as well as HIS 2050: Modern America since 1877 and designed and taught HIS/ELR 3220 Pop Culture and Labor.

 

He began work as an Academic Services Officer II for Wayne State University in January, 2024 serving as the advisor for the undergraduate History program.

Research interest(s)/area of expertise

  • Modern US History
  • History of American and Japanese Pop Culture
  • American Labor History


Research

  • Comics Labor History

Education

B.A., History, Northern Michigan University, 2012
M.A., History, Wayne State University, 2019

Awards and grants

2019 - Thomas Frank Mayer-Oakes Annual Memorial Scholarship
2018 - Thomas Frank Mayer-Oakes Annual Memorial Scholarship
2018 - Michael D. Patterson Memorial Award
Courses taught by Sean O'Brien

Winter Term 2025

  • HIS 3000 - Historian's Craft: Work and Play

Winter Term 2024

  • HIS1050 - History of the Headlines: United States Since World War II

Fall Term 2023

  • ASN/HIS 1700 - East Asia to the 1700s
  • HIS3995 - Special Topics in History (HIS/ELR 3220 Labor in Media and Pop Culture)

Spring-Summer Term 2023

  • HIS2050 - Modern America: Since 1877

Winter Term 2023

  • HIS1050 - History of the Headlines: United States Since World War II

Fall Term 2022

  • HIS1050 - History of the Headlines: United States Since World War II

Spring-Summer Term 2022

  • HIS2050 - Modern America: Since 1877

Winter Term 2022

  • HIS2050 - Modern America: Since 1877

Fall Term 2021

  • ASN/HIS 1700 - East Asia to the 1700s

 

Research interest(s)/area of expertise

  • Modern U.S. history
  • History of American and Japanese pop culture
  • American labor history

Research

  • Comics labor history

Education

  • B.A., History, Northern Michigan University, 2012
  • M.A., History, Wayne State University, 2019

Awards and grants

  • 2019 - Thomas Frank Mayer-Oakes Annual Memorial Scholarship
  • 2018 - Thomas Frank Mayer-Oakes Annual Memorial Scholarship
  • 2018 - Michael D. Patterson Memorial Award

Courses taught by Sean O'Brien

Winter Term 2025 (current)

Winter Term 2024

Fall Term 2023

Spring-Summer Term 2023

Winter Term 2023