From the conference home page:

Genre 2012 will continue the tradition and scholarly conversation that originated with the first international colloquium on Genre Studies, “Rethinking Genre,” held at Carleton University in 1992.

The goals of Genre 2012 are the following:

• To create a dialogue among the three major traditions of Genre Studies: (a) English for Specific Purposes (ESP), (b) North American/New Rhetorical Studies, and (c) Australian Systemic Functional Linguistics (the Sydney School);
• To present the most recent research developments in each of these three traditions with respect to writing in academic, workplace, and community settings;
• To explore possible convergences among the three traditions; and
• To provide a communicative space for discussion of other possible approaches to Genre Studies.