Although it is most commonly known for its use in film and literature, genre is a key concept in many areas of education, particularly in literacy education. The idea of ‘genre’ has complicated origins, owing to its use in other fields. This makes definitions of genre challenging. One of the most common definitions comes from the Australian Sydney School who find that “genre is a staged, goal-oriented, purposeful activity in which speakers engage as members of our culture” (Martin & Rose, 2007, p. 34). As the first part of the definition suggests, the Sydney School see genre first and foremost as something people do to get things done, and as such there is a strong emphasis on the form of genres. Meanwhile, the Rhetorical Genre Studies school originating in America was formed around the following definition of genre as “typified rhetorical actions based in recurrent” (Miller, 1984, p. 236). In this school, genre is more about the situation to which one responds, than the response itself, even if that is a matter of relative emphasis, not absolute difference. Word Counts: 596 Sited By: 3 Reference Style: MLA Click Here for the Essay