Honest question about a hypothetical name within a class assignment.

[HereSince1628]

This involves 2 questions or I'd use a poll.

I currently teach at a small women's College where the student body is about 45% Black. I wrote a draft version of a problem-based learning exercise that names a hypothetical student as Evelyn Shansai (the last name is from a local telephone directory)...My SO thinks it should be changed to Evelyn Smith before I use it because Shansai is too ethnic sounding.

My questions are:

Is it bad to use a non-European name or is it bad to avoid them?

Do you think I should change the name in the exercise to something more like Evelyn Smith.

on edit: Thanks for your input.

[Glorfindel]

1. I think it's silly to avoid non-European names

be creative! Use "Hadassah Goldblatt," "Umm Ali," and "Juanita Lopez de la Pena y Gomez" as hypothetical names in your exercises.

[TheDoorbellRang]

9. "Smith" is ethnic sounding, too

aren't all last names? :shrug:

On edit: sorry, meant in response to OP

[Skinner]

2. I think you should not change the name.

The name you've chosen for the exercise is a perfectly good name. There is no need to change it.

In fact, I think anyone teaching in 2007 should probably be making an effort to make their lessons more inclusive. This is one way to do that.

[nightrider767]

3. Please

Keep the original name. It's ethnic, sure. But this country is ethnic. Time to wake up and smell the roses.

Good luck.

[Richard Steele]

4. It would depend upon the problem in question, but generally I'd say it's fine. nm

[otherlander]

5. I think you should make the name

Walstib Jones.

[bjorkfan]

6. Are your students primarily culturally American?

If they are mostly African American as opposed to immigrant blacks they would have mostly Anglo-Saxon surnames like Smith, Jones, Williams, etc. Shansai sounds south Asian, though I would check what names are connected to it in the phonebook. I'm also thinking that if it's an unusual last name, some of your students will get distracted by that instead of concentrating on the problem. Is it necessary for the character to have a last name?

When I was training in a cruise line for procedures of recording guest information, we used the names of real celebrities, but with made-up personal information.

[ChazII]

10. Good points.

I know my students get hung up on the names, but my students are 8 years old.

[ecstatic]

7. Just don't use a patronizing, stereotypical name to suit the audience

Actually, you can't go wrong with your husband's suggestion.

[Lint Head]

8. I'm not sure. Smith may be considered a slur to a WASP.

:dem:

[HereSince1628]

11. Thank-you all for your comments.

[1932]

12. I had a professor whose hypothetical names were characters from movies

And the movies illustrated points she was trying to make.