課程包含文學及哲學文本的概論，自十七世紀到二十世紀早期，上溯現代世界的發展。在當時不再以地球為宇宙中心的觀念下，個人主義的成長為其發展的要素。挑選的文本舉證新人本主義的來臨，立即對舊思潮產生質疑與衝擊。課程環繞在古代與現代世界差異的議題，主要就行為與角色、表述與體裁來探討，並有利於修習過西方文明基礎I的同學。
This course comprises a broad survey of texts, literary and philosophical, which trace the development of the modern world from the seventeenth to the early twentieth century. Intrinsic to this development is the growth of individualism in a world no longer understood to be at the center of the universe. The texts chosen for study exemplify the emergence of a new humanism, at once troubled and dynamic in comparison to the old. The leading theme of this course is thus the question of the difference between the ancient and the modern world. Students who have taken Foundations of Western Culture I will obviously have an advantage in dealing with this question. Classroom discussion approaches this question mainly through consideration of action and characters, voice and form.
