The Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures at National Chung Hsing University was founded in 1968. After 18 years in the Hung Tao Building in the northwest of the campus, in September of 1994 it was relocated along with several other departments to the 7th floor of the newly-built General Teaching Building. The night school department was established in 1968. In September 1994, the department's graduate program was established. In 1997, the continuing education program was changed to the evening extension program.

Those who have served as chairpersons of the department are: Dr. Chi Pang-yuan, Dr. Liu Sen, Dr. Ting Chen-wan, Dr. Chien Cheng-chen, Dr. Yu Yu-chao, Dr. Tseng Sen-yee, Dr. Lee Chi-fan, Dr. Tung Chung-hsuan, Dr. Wu Hsin-fa, Dr. Chiu Kuei-fen, and Dr. Chun-san Wang.

The current chairperson is Dr. Su-ching Chen.

The department provides solid literature and language training. The small class setting lays an excellent foundation in listening, speaking, reading and writing for students. The English and
American literature classes here are taught by excellent teachers who provide students with a complete education in the area of literature and the humanities. In recent years, the department has sought to develop its international appeal by encouraging students to attend seminars in other countries thus allowing them to broaden their horizons. Approximately 3 to 5 students are given the opportunity to study for a one-year period in a variety of schools and programs that cooperate with NCHU. The department offers opportunities for students to go to America, Germany, Australia and Austria with scholarships awarded by the Ministry of Education.

Every year, exchange students from Japan, Korea, Thailand, Turkey and other countries come to NCHU to study. The department offers an excellent environment for language and cultural exchange as well as a variety of opportunities for exchange students to develop short-term study plans. Multiculture is no longer a slogan, but an actual experience in our learning environment.

The academic research in the department focuses mainly on modern literature and literary theory. The department excels at ethnic studies, aboriginal research, sexuality research, modern English literature, Asian American discourse, gender studies, science fiction, globalization discourse, ecology and environmental discourse, children's literature, Joycean studies, internet and hypertext literature.

The department is developing new materials and teaching methods in order to foster an 'all-campus' English speaking environment. We integrate computers and online learning into our curriculum. In addition, we provide remedial teaching measures that provide language support for NCHU students. As we all know, the key to speaking a foreign language fluently does not just take place within the classroom itself. Encouraging students to 'self-learn' outside of the classroom is also important. In 2004, the "Foreign Languages Access Center" was established on the fifth floor of the Language Center to provide all NCHU students, faculty and staff a place to practice their English. The Foreign Languages Access Center offers online learning software, English tutoring assistance and other extracurricular English learning activities. A variety of academic seminars and special events are also held at the center on a regular basis.

The faculty members of the department not only teach but are also dedicated to research and frequently issue academic monographs. They regularly publish articles in domestic and international academic periodicals, and present their findings in academic meetings. The faculty often publishes disquisitions in the Journal of the College of Liberal Arts and the Journal of the Night School. The department's academic publications include the Journal of the College of Liberal Arts, Intergrams, and Contemporary Literary Criticism.