The role of genre in language syllabus design: The case of Bahrain

This article examines the role of genre in English language syllabus design, with reference to a project in Bahrain secondary schools. It attempts to show how, through a carefully devised and conducted qualitative study in ethnographic mode, a syllabus was developed which placed genre at its centre. It also attempts to illuminate how issues relating to the sequencing and choice of genre can be determined ecologically, and how a focus on genres in this way could usefully impact on other central areas of pedagogy including the teaching of skills, and assessment.