导语

  

内容提要

  

    本书旨在帮助当代大学生从根本上了解西方文明史与西方的价值体系、思维模式和行为规范。本书由10个章节组成，内容覆盖西方古代文明、中世纪基督教、文艺复兴与宗教改革、启蒙运动、浪漫主义、现实主义、世界大战与文明冲突等西方文明的发展历程。每个章节包括主题课文、经典阅读和互动练习三个部分。主题课文，以史为纲，文字精练，主题突出，发人深省；经典阅读，课前注解引人人胜。选材全部出自名家，内容与课文相辅相成，相得益彰；互动练习，培养学生自主学习的习惯，提供互动操练的机会，特别是观看影视素材的环节，可引导学生深入探索与思考，使学生在多方位的互动与操练中，领悟西方文明的精髓。本书适合用作本科英语专业学生和非英语专业高年级学生“西方文化入门”和“西方文明史”课程的教材。

Chapter 1 Culture, Civilization and the Significance of the History of Western Civilization
  Culture
    1. Defining Culture
    9. Early Definitions of Culture
    3. Today's Definitions of Culture
    4. Elements of Culture
    5. Modes or Levels of Culture
  Civilization
    1. Defining Civilization
    2. Two Categories of Meanings
    3. Culture v.s. Civilization
  Significance of the History of Western Civilization
    1. Gaining Historical Insight
    2. Increasing Historical Awareness
    3. Drawing from Past Lessons
  Primary Reading
  Interactive Activities
Chapter 2 The Greeks: From Myth to Reason
  The Greeks. From Myth to Reason
    1. Early Aegean Civilizations
    2. Evolution of the City-States
    3. The Hellenistic Age. The Second Stage of Greek Civilization
    4. The Great Achievements
  Primary Reading
  Interactive Activities
Chapter 3 Rome: From City-State to World Empire
  Rome: From City-State to World Empire
    1. The Origins of Rome
    2. The Roman Republic (508 to 30 BCE)
    3. The First Punic War (264 BCE)
    4. The Revolution (145 BCE to 30 BCE)
    5. The Principate (30 BCE to 192 CE)
    6. The Late Empire and Christianity
    7. The Fall of Rome
    8. The Legacy of the Roman Empire
  Primary Reading
  Interactive Activities
Chapter 4 Early Christianity: A World of Religion
  Early Christianity. A World of Religion
    1. The Origins of Christianity
    2. The Spread of Christianity
    3. Development of the Christian Institutions
    4. Christianity and Classical Humanism. Alternative World-Views
    5. Christianity and the Roman Empire
  Primary Reading
  Interactive Activities
Chapter 5 The Middle Ages: The Christian Centuries
  The Development Of Christianity
    1. Early Medieval Europe
    2. England and France
    3. Invaders
    4. The Emergence of the High Middle Ages
    5. The Crises of the Middle Ages
  Primary Reading
  Interactive Activities
Chapter 6 Transition to the Modern Ase: Renaissance and Reformation
  Transition to the Modern Age: Renaissance and Reformation
    1. Italy: Birthplace of the Renaissance
    2. The Renaissance Outlook
    3. Renaissance Art
    4. The Spread of the Renaissance
    5. The Renaissance and the Modern Age
    6. Background to the Reformation
    7. The Lutheran Revolt
    8. The Spread of the Reformation
    9. The Reformation and the Modern Age
  Primary Reading
  Interactive Activities
Chapter 7 Intellectual Transformation: The Scientific
  Revolution and the Enlightenment
  Intellectual Transformation: The Scientific Revolution and the
  Enlightenment
    1. Copernicus' Breaking-Through Idea
    2. The Scientific Process, Mentality, and Method
    3. Scientific Discoveries
    4. Science and Society
    5. Scientific Institutions and Culture
    6. The Philosophical Impact of Science
    7. The Enlightenment
  Primary Reading
  Interactive Activities
Chapter 8 The Modern West: Progress and Breakdown
  The Modern West: Progress and Breakdown
    1. The French Revolution
    2. The Industrial Revolution
    3. Thought and Culture as a Result of the Revolutions
  Primary Reading
  Interactive Activities
Chapter 9 The Western Civilization in Crisis
  The Western Civilization in Crisis
    1. Crisis and Redefinition
    2. The Problem of Fascism and Nazism
    3. The Postwar West
    4. Geography Concerns
    5. The Modern Predicament
    6. The Legacy of World War Ⅱ
  Primary Reading
  Interactive Activities
Chapter 10 The West in a Globalized World
  The West in a Globalized World
    1. A False Start
    2. Globalization Returns
    3. The West's Role
    4. The West and the World
    5. Western Hesitancy
    6. The West in the Twenty-First Century
    7. Cultural Clashes and Terrorism
  Primary Reading
  Interactive Activities
  References