考慮到學生的知識結構以及課時安排，常曉梅主編的《西方文明簡史》將西方文明凝縮在十個章節中：近東文明、古希臘文明、古羅馬文明、中世紀文明、文藝復興、宗教改革、早期現代文明、政治革命與工業革命、歐洲現代主義、戰爭與西方社會新布局。每一章節都力求以歷史為綱，以文化信點點為目：從面上總賢一個時代，從點上洞悉其文化精髓。
另外，《西方文明簡史》在介紹西方文化的同時，注重對學習者語言實踐能力的培養，針對每一章內容設計了相關的練習題，既有考查對重要知識點的認知和熟記的練習題（**、二題），也有鍛煉學習者簡單應用和綜合應用語言、獨立思考和分析問題能力的練習題（第三、四題），並附有答案，還有開闊視野，提高英語思辨能力的中西文化對比討論題（第五題），便於課堂使用及課後自主學習和檢測效果。

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