This class goes over the basics of fossils - how to find them, how to identify them, and the geologic time scale - all using Pokemon for examples. The class is divided into three recordings.

In the first recording, we talk about the tools that fossil hunters use, the clothes they wear, and how they extract fossils from the ground. We'll discuss the use of dynamite (whether it's a good idea for geologists to use dynamite to get at hard-to-uncover layers), and also the challenging topic of fossil ethics (especially in regards to where you should go looking for fossils). We'll use video clips from a Pokemon episode ("Attack of the Prehistoric Pokemon") to illustrate all of these points.

The second recorded lecture focuses of the types of fossils. We'll discuss preserved fossils (such as those trapped in amber, tar, or ice), cast/mold fossils, carbon fossils, and petrified fossils. We'll compare these different types of fossils to the fossils found in Pokemon.

The third recording covers the entire geologic timescale. We start with early life in the PreCambrian Era, then cover "The Age of the Fishes" in the Paleozoic Era, making sure to cover the Pokemon inspired by fossils from this era. Next is the Mesozoic - The Age of Reptiles. Instead of focusing on the well-known dinosaur Pokemon inspired by this era, we will focus on other creatures that existed during this era. Finally, we'll talk about Pokemon inspired by extinct creatures that lived during the most recent era - the Cenozoic.