Final answer:
Stephen Duncombe views culture as the abstract products of cultural capacity, including knowledge, beliefs, values, and technology that form the shared basis of social action. Cultural studies, while not defined from UCF or UNC in the references, generally examine how societal meanings are created and expressed through various forms. Frameworks such as functionalism, conflict theory, and symbolic interactionism are used to analyze these expressions and their social implications.
Step-by-step explanation:
Stephen Duncombe and the Concept of Culture
According to Stephen Duncombe, culture can be understood as the abstract products of a community's capacity for culture. This includes the accumulated knowledge, beliefs, values, and technological know-how, all of which constitute the shared bases of social action. Duncombe's interpretation aligns with sociological frameworks that view culture as both material (physical objects, technology, architecture) and nonmaterial (values, beliefs, norms, language, and practices). The common ground he suggests between the author and readers is based on these shared cultural elements, which inform the basis of communication and understanding, even as the potential for conflict may arise from different interpretations and values.
The field of cultural studies delves into these aspects, examining the ways societies create and maintain shared meanings. Unfortunately, without explicit information available from the University of Central Florida (UCF) or the University of North Carolina (UNC) in the references provided, we cannot accurately convey their specific definitions of cultural studies. However, cultural studies generally explore the relationship between cultural expressions such as music, fashion, art, and technology, and how these expressions inform social practices, relationships, power dynamics, and identities within a social group.
Cultural Studies Frameworks
Cultural studies can often be framed through various sociological perspectives, including functionalism, conflict theory, and symbolic interactionism. These perspectives help to explain how culture functions within societies, the conflicts that may arise from different cultural elements and dynamics, and the way in which individuals create and interpret cultural symbols in their everyday interactions.