考虑到学生的知识结构以及课时安排，常晓梅主编的《西方文明简史》将西方文明凝缩在十个章节中：近东文明、古希腊文明、古罗马文明、中世纪文明、文艺复兴、宗教改革、早期现代文明、政治革命与工业革命、欧洲现代主义、战争与西方社会新布局。每一章节都力求以历史为纲，以文化信点点为目：从面上总贤一个时代，从点上洞悉其文化精髓。

另外，《西方文明简史》在介绍西方文化的同时，注重对学习者语言实践能力的培养，针对每一章内容设计了相关的练习题，既有考查对重要知识点的认知和熟记的练习题（第一、二题），也有锻炼学习者简单应用和综合应用语言、独立思考和分析问题能力的练习题（第三、四题），并附有答案，还有开阔视野，提高英语思辨能力的中西文化对比讨论题（第五题），便于课堂使用及课后自主学习和检测效果。

Chapter One The Ancient Near East: The Cradle of Civilisation

        (c. 4000 B. C. --70 A. D. )

 Section One Mesopotamian Civilisation (c. 4000--539 B. C. )

 Section Two Egyptian Civilisation (c. 3100--c. 332 B. C. )

 Section Three Other Early Civilisations (c. 3000--c. 147 B. C. )

 Section Four The Hebrew Civilization (c. 2000 B. C. --c. 70 A. D. )

 Section Five The Assyrian Empire (c. 1000--612 B. C. )

 Section Six The Persian Empire (550--330 B. C. )

 Chapter Review

 Exercise

 Voices on Key Points

 Suggested Reading

Chapter Two Greek Civilisation (e. 2000--30 B. C. )

 Section One The Emergence of Greece (c. 2000--1100 B. C. )

 Section Two Dark Age and Homer's World (1100--750 B. C. )

 Section Three Sparta and Athens: Greek City-States (750--500 B. C. )

 Section Four Greece in Classical Period (c. 500--330 B. C. )

 Section Five The Hellenistic Era (330--30 B. C. )

Chapter Review

Exercise

Voices on Key Points

Suggested reading

Chapter Three Roman Civilisation (753 B. C. --476 A.D. )

Section One The Rise of Rome (753--509 B. C. )

Section Two The Roman Republic (509--30 B. C. )

Section Three The Eclipse of the Roman Republic (133--30 B. C. )

Section Four The Roman Empire (30 B. C. --476 A. D. )

Section Five Christianity in Rome (c. 50 B. C. --313 A. D. )

Section Six The Roman Culture (753 B. C. --476 A. D. )

Chapter Review

Exercise

Voices on Key Points

Suggested Reading

Chapter Four Medieval Civilisation {476--c. 1500}

 Section One The Emergence of the Medieval Civilisati0n (476--c. 750)

 Section Two The Development of the Early Middle Ages (c. 750--c. 1000)

 Section Three Significant Changes of the High Middle Ages (c. 1001--c. 1300)

 Section Four The Decline of the Middle Ages (c. 1300--c. 1500)

 Chapter Review

 Exercise

 Voices on Key Points

 Suggested Reading

Chapter Five The Age of the Renaissance (14th--17th Century)

 Section One The Rise of the Renaissance (14th--15th Century)

 Section Two Arts and Literature in the Italian Renaissance (Mid-1400s

           --Late 1500s)

 Section Three The Pattern of Politics in the Renaissance (1494--Early 1600s)

 Section Four The Natural Science in the Renaissance (15th--17th Century)

 Chapter Review

 Exercise

 Voices on Key Points

 Suggested Reading

Chapter Six Protestant Reformation (1517--Late 16th Century)

 Section One The Launch of the Reformation (Second Half of the 15th Century--1516)

Section Two German Protestant Reformation (1517--Early 16th Century)

Section Three Reformation outside Germany (1520s--Late 16th Century)

Section Four The Counter-Reformation (Mid-16th Century)

Chapter Review

Exercise

Voices on Key Points

Suggested Reading

Chapter Seven Early Modern Times (c. 1419--1800}

Section One Expansion of European Powers (c. 1419--1800)

Section Two Social Disturbance (Early 17th--Early 18th Century) and the

          Age of Absolutism (c. 1550--1800)

Section Three The Scientific Revolution (1543--1700) and the Enlightenment

           (c. 1650--1800)

Section Four The Last Phase of the Old Order (1715--1789)

Chapter Review

Exercise

Voices on Key Points

Suggested Reading

Chapter Eight The Age of the Revolution and Industrialisation (1775--1860)

Section One The Revolutionary Era (1775--1815)

 Section Two The Era of the First Industrial Revolution (1750--1860)

 Chapter Review

 Exercise

 Voices on Key Points

 Suggested Reading

Chapter Nine Modernity in Europe ( 1815-- 1914)

 Section One Suppression， Revolution， and Romanticism (1815--1850)

 Section Two  Nationalism and Realism (1850--1871)

 Section Three The Age of Progress (1871--1894)

 Section Four Anxiety and Tension(1894--1914)

 Chapter Review

 Exercise

 Voices on Key Points

 Suggested Reading

Chapter Ten World Wars and Post-war Era (1914--2000)

 Section One Wars and Revolutions (1914--1945)

 Section Two The Cold War and the New Era o{ the Western World

            (1945--2000)

 Chapter Review

 Exercise

 Voices on Key Points

 Suggested Reading

Culture Link

Proper Names

Key to Exercises

Bibliography