I've done it in the husk, when it's fresh (ie, the husk isn't dried out), but I don't like the grassy flavors that the husk imparts.
My neighbor's clued me into a box of dry wax paper sheets to cover food for the microwave (so I can be lazy and not have to clean the microwave as often), so I wrap the corn in it after it's been husked and the silk removed. I just roll in around the corn, twist the ends like the paper wrapping on taffy, then microwave it for a few seconds.
I haven't done it recently, so I can't remember exact times (and the wattage of microwaves differ, anyway) ... you just want to warm it through, though. If you were going to try to get it hot, I'd consider dropping to medium power for a much longer time, so you don't overly cook the outside, as I vaguely recall having an incident once.
The classic way to make a caramel sauce is to cook approx (this is what we use at the restaurant, because sometimes we get distracted and have to run away; it's more forgiving. Use less water if you can concentrate) 4:1 sugar:water until the sugar has taken a golden colour. Remove from heat, whisk in cream and butter until you reach your desired consistency, add a pinch or two of salt, just enough so you can taste it. This will get you a nice caramel sauce, keeps a week or so at room temp.
Edited to respond to question:
Honestly, I have no idea what the ideal ratio is. I just do it by feel. There should be a zillion caramel recipes available via google that can be more specific. Offhand I would kind of sort of guess that for three cups sugar I use roughly 3/4c cream and 3tbsp butter. Ish.
Edited to provide another answer:
If you wish to use condensed milk to create something that will be closer to a dulce de leche, do the following. This can be extremely dangerous, please be sure to follow all directions. I am not responsible if you injure yourself:
Fill a large pot with water. Keep another pot boiling for topping off the main pot as water evaporates.
Place a can of condensed milk, still sealed, label removed, into the main pot. Bring up to a hard rolling boil. Top up the water as needed. Ensure that the can is always covered with at least six inches of water. Keep a lid on the pot, just in case.
Boil hard for four hours. Turn off the heat, and allow the water in the pot to come slowly down to room temperature. Do not at this point touch the can.
After cooling, let the pot continue to sit at room temperature for at least one hour. At this point, reach into the pot and gently touch the can with your hand. If it is still warm, leave it to cool further.
Once the can is completely cooled to room temperature, you may open it. If you want to be sure, leave it overnight.
You will have a glorious caramel sauce.
Note: I have intentionally described this process with significant margin for error for safety. There will be significant pressure inside the can, and opening it prematurely can very easily result in life-altering injuries.
Best Answer
Microwave candy recipes are very fast and easy. They tend to be only a little different in flavor than the stove top versions in my experience. There seems to be a little less depth of flavor.
The recipes usually call for short periods of microwaving and frequent stirring. As far as the cooking times- I have to follow the recipe as I have no way of measuring the temperature in the microwave.
I personally have had great success with peanut brittle recipes (which get hotter than caramel):
http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/microwave-peanut-brittle-2/Detail.aspx
A cursory google search found several recipes for caramel but I have not tried them personally.