Certainly one of my funniest professors, his lectures were one of the least likely to fall asleep in. Despite the large amount of reading they assign you in the Woll Book, you don't have to do it- just read the section you're writing your essay on. If you have to miss a lecture, it's pretty ok since he posts his notes online and they're much better than my own notes. Just look his over before the test, there isn't much memorization to do (if he lists a bunch of reasons why something happened, just memorize two of them), and though two five page essays, worth half your grade, were kinda tedious, the class should be fairly simple.

Class is cake. Cram the lecture before midterm and final and its an A. The two papers are really easy too. Take for GE or for whatever other requirements you need. Sure he doesn't really meet his students outside of class. He doesn't even handle the grades (his TAs do). But who cares if he's ineffective?! An easy A is an easy A.

I am a fervent note-taker. But in this class, you don't need to be. Just read, study and memorize the outlines Prof. Schwartz puts on his website, and you'll be fine. It's an easy read, and it goes by fast. I'm not going to lie-- you don't need to go to his lectures. BUT, if you do go, his lecture notes will definitely make more sense-- and it'll stick with you for a longer time.

Do go to discussion--- there are names, events, court cases everywhere --- and you won't really know what to study for unless you go.