I would choose to use history of the cinema to teach foreign students about American culture. Going back to what I mentioned in the above essay, I realize that movies teach us about life. If there is a group of foreign students who are need to learn more about American culture or American attitudes about various aspects of American history, film would be a great way to help accomplish that goal. Of course cinema would not be the only teaching tool necessary; but it would be a good supplemental tool. The instructor could go over all material necessary for the actual course and insert films when he or she thinks such subject matter is relevant.
I think The Birth of a Nation would be essential for a class like this. The students could see how far our country has come since 1915. I think High Noon, directed by Fred Zinnermann in 1952, and maybe another western would be important. I almost believe Forrest Gump, directed by Robert Zemeckis in 1994, would be helpful. With instructional guidance watching this movie, a student could be told which parts were real and which were fictitious. Even though this movie is comical and fictional, many parts were actually events. The events that take place in this movie are told in a chronological order and in a simple, easy to understand way.
For a class like this I would try to mostly use films that had historical content to them. I think this would be a good idea for teaching foreign students because, when I watched Rashômon, directed by Akira Kurosawa in 1950, I got a glimpse of Japanese culture. The costumes showed me what different classes of people wore. The way they sat and spoke with each other was also different from American culture. The way the woman felt about being with two men and the medium that was used in court was different from the way Americans would have handled it.
Watching a movie like this helped me, and I think it could help other students--both Americans and foreigners--as well.