People are burying their heads in their end-of-term paper and have finished the provisional guidance and are starting to work out a detailed plan for their thesis. If you are among these, we would like to introduce the Writing Center (Building 7, 1st floor).

“Many people think of the Writing Center as a place where you get your writing corrected, but that is not what we do,” says Saori Sadoshima, an associate professor at CIE. At the center, the ‘lost writer’ is individually tutored and trained how to become an ‘independent writer.’ The tutor’s job, in a 45-minute session, is to draw out the writer’s thoughts and give advice on how to classify the ideas, in order to give the writer a chance to realize it for him or herself. Of course, you can use the center even if you have not yet written or completed a single sentence.

The tutors in charge are mostly graduate school students who are trained in the teaching methods for writing skills and they have received strict training. It is an original system in which upper-classmen, whose goals are to become an educator, train under-classmen while developing their own teaching skills at the same time. This kind of education support system is popular in American and European universities but in Japan it is considered new and is just now receiving attention. Ms. Yuzu Uchida, a 3rd-year doctorial student at the Graduate School of Letters, Arts and Sciences, who serves as a tutor says, “As soon as you come to university, students are suddenly expected to do academic writing and many become confused. If you use the center and get the knack of the rules and skills, you will be able to become an independent writer.”

As long as it is for academic articles, guidance will be provided in either English or Japanese. The service is free of charge and reservations can be made through the Waseda-net Portal. Please refer to the website below for further information.

■Information about a Welcome Workshop Session
Time: Tuesday, January 20th, 17:30-19:00
Place: ICC (1st floor of Okuma Garden House)
Introducing the essence of writing which is sure to help you with your end-of-term papers.
URL
http://www.cie-waseda.jp/studyabroad/detail/detail_e.php?nid=520

■Open Courses 'Academic Writing in Japanese'
An on-demand lesson which has a great reputation due to the tutor’s helpful comments. Many students use the Writing Center after the course to brush up their writing even more. For further information please refer to the syllabus at the Open Education Center.