Academic Writing ProgramWaseda University

The aim of the Writing Center is the development of “independent writers.”

Our tutors work to help writers notice and understand for themselves where the problems lie in their writing, and what they might do to make it better. This is a collaborative task, whereby writers and tutors think and work together. By working in this way, the writer gradually learns to notice the problem areas in their own writing and how to correct them independently. At the Writing Center, our focus is not to improve the paper, but rather to support the development of the writer.

Writing as a process

The Writing Center aims to improve students’ writing skills, to which end our principal philosophy is “writing in progress”. This is because at the drafting stage the writer is thinking most actively about the paper. The task of writing has already begun at the drafting stage, before there is even a word on the page. By having someone look over their work throughout the drafting process, the writer can improve their writing skills.

Writing across the curriculum

Writing is an independent terrain that traverses one’s specialist field.
Tutors do not necessarily hold specialist knowledge related to the academic content of each paper. However, one can learn a great deal from the advice given by a tutor who has specialist knowledge of writing itself.